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Visual Studio Emulator for Android

15 posts · Dec 2012 – Nov 2015

What this trail covers

This thread tracks the evolution of the Visual Studio Emulator for Android. Initially released for VS2015 CTP, it has since added OpenGL, Lollipop, multi-touch, camera simulation, device profiles, and WiFi simulation. This update introduces new platforms (JellyBean 4.2 and Lollipop 5.1), a command-line interface (CLI) for managing profiles and platforms, drag-and-drop zip library installation for restoring apps and data, and SD card simulation. The emulator is now also available as a standalone installer, independent of Visual Studio, for use with other development tools.

All Microsoft trails
  1. Debug UWP Prelaunch with VS2015This post details how to debug UWP apps in Prelaunch mode using Visual Studio 2015 Update 1 and Windows 10 Version 1511. It explains the prerequisites, how to debug from a project, and how to debug installed apps. It also highlights the `PrelaunchActivated` property for conditional behavior and notes limitations regarding Windows 10 editions and app closure methods.
  2. Visual Studio Emulator for Android Release NotesThis release (April 2016, Version 1.0.60404.1) includes bug fixes. The January 2016 release (Version 1.0.60106.1) also included bug fixes. The November 2015 release (Version 1.0.51106.3) added Marshmallow (API 23) platform support, better non-English keyboard support, and bug fixes. The September 2015 release (Version 1.0.50925.2) introduced network simulation and improved screenshot functionality, with bug fixes for nested virtualization. The August 2015 release (Version 1.0.50820.1) included bug fixes and stability improvements. The July 2015 RTM release (Version 1.0.50715.4) added Lollipop 5.1 (API 22) and JellyBean 4.2 (API 17) platform support, a command-line interface, drag-and-drop zip libraries, SD Card simulation, and made the emulator acquirable without Visual Studio 2015. The April 2015 RC release (Version 1.0.50429.1) introduced device profiles managed via a new Emulator Manager and WiFi simulation. The February 2015 CTP 6 release (Version 1.0.50213.1) added Lollipop (API 21) platform support, OpenGL ES support, multi-touch support, and camera simulation. The December 2014 CTP 5 release (Version 1.0.41202.1) included bug fixes and stability improvements. The November 2014 Preview release (Version 1.0.41108.1) was the first release, offering debugging from Visual Studio Cross-Platform Mobile project types, KitKat (API 19) platform support, zoom, rotation, network info, location simulation, accelerometer simulation, power/battery simulation, screenshot capture, drag-and-drop APK install, audio playback, and keyboard/mouse input.
  3. Marshmallow (API 23) now available in the Visual Studio Emulator for AndroidThis post announces the availability of Marshmallow (Android 6.0, API Level 23) images for the Visual Studio Emulator for Android. It details how to update the emulator to include Marshmallow support, select Marshmallow device profiles, and install them. The post confirms that existing simulation features are functional with Marshmallow.
  4. Network simulation and more in the VS Emulator for AndroidIntroduced network simulation capabilities to the Visual Studio Emulator for Android, allowing developers to configure network type (Wi-Fi, Cellular, No network) and signal strength. This feature throttles bandwidth, simulates packet loss, and ensures Android's networking APIs report accurate network types and signal strengths. Also fixed screenshot corruption issues and enabled the use of `adb shell screencap`.
  5. Using the Visual Studio Emulator for Android from Android Studio or Eclipse with ADTThis post details how to use the standalone Visual Studio Emulator for Android with Android Studio and Eclipse. It provides step-by-step instructions for configuring Android Studio to select the emulator as a target device during debugging and for creating external tools in both Android Studio and Eclipse to quickly launch the emulator manager or specific device profiles. The post also reiterates the availability of the emulator as a standalone download.
  7. Visual Studio Emulator for Android in VS2015 RTMIntroduces new platforms (JellyBean 4.2 and Lollipop 5.1), a command-line interface (CLI) for managing device profiles and platforms, drag-and-drop zip library installation for restoring apps and data, and SD card simulation. Also highlights the availability of the emulator as a standalone installer.
  8. Using Fiddler to monitor network traffic from the VS Emulator for AndroidThis post details the steps to configure the Visual Studio Emulator for Android to monitor network traffic using Fiddler. It covers installing the latest versions of the emulator and Fiddler, configuring Fiddler's connection settings (allowing remote connections, reusing connections, setting the listening port), and obtaining the emulator's IP address. It also outlines the process of configuring the emulator's Wi-Fi settings to manually proxy traffic through Fiddler, including setting the proxy hostname and port. A crucial step highlighted is closing Fiddler before starting the emulator to avoid startup interference.
  9. Visual Studio Emulator for Android in VS2015 RCThis post announces two new features for the Visual Studio Emulator for Android: Device Profiles and WiFi simulation. Device Profiles allow users to install and run pre-curated configurations representing popular Android hardware from various manufacturers, simplifying cross-device testing. WiFi simulation enables testing of different network conditions. These features are available in the Visual Studio 2015 RC release.
  10. The Visual Studio Emulator for Android in VS2015 CTP6This post announces updates to the Visual Studio Emulator for Android in VS2015 CTP6. New features include Lollipop (API Level 21) debug targets for C++, Cordova, and Xamarin projects, OpenGL ES 2.0 support by forwarding calls to the host GPU and using ANGLE for DirectX translation, multi-touch input simulation for pinching and zooming, and advanced camera simulation with options for default animation, file picture, or webcam input for both front and rear cameras. It also notes that CTP6 requires uninstallation of previous versions.
  11. DevOps style deployment in Visual Studio 2015 preview - Sharing deployment configuration with teamIntroduced the concept of 'Environments' in 'Team Explorer' for Visual Studio 2015 Preview, differentiating between 'My Environments' and 'Team Environments'. Enabled sharing of deployment templates by checking them into source control and creating 'Environment Definitions' from these templates, allowing team members to create identical environments for consistent deployment configurations.
  12. DevOps style deployment in Visual Studio 2015 preview - A detailed lookThis post provides additional details on the DevOps style deployment capability announced in Visual Studio 2015 Preview, focusing on how developers can use it. It explains the deployment process, including selecting the deployment project, enabling cloud deployment, and filling in parameters like 'dropLocation' and 'dropLocationSasToken'. It details how the application package is uploaded to Azure blob storage before deployment and how Visual Studio builds referred projects to generate the package. The post also highlights the "Deployment" option in the output window for logs and the JSON file used for application deployment configuration, including a "Validate Template" option.
  13. Debugging C++ code on Android with Visual Studio 2015This post details the debugging capabilities for C++ code on Android within Visual Studio 2015. It lists supported debugging features such as F5, attach to process, breakpoints, stepping, call stack, data windows (with Natvis support), modules window, address-level debugging, threads window, and parallel debugging windows. It also outlines current limitations, including the requirement for Android 4.2+, the app not being killed on stop debugging, and unsupported features like the Diagnostic Tools window, 64-bit processes, exception settings, hexadecimal display, Android thread names, Autos window, return values, interop debugging, Just My Code, Edit and Continue, and the Tasks window.
  14. Introducing Visual Studio’s Emulator for AndroidThis post introduces the Visual Studio Emulator for Android, highlighting its key features and benefits. It explains the need for an emulator in the development cycle, contrasting its use cases with physical devices. The post details how the emulator addresses common developer pain points like slowness, Hyper-V conflicts, and separate acquisition steps. It also outlines how to use the emulator as a debug target for C++, Cordova, and Xamarin projects within Visual Studio 2015.
  15. Native debugging for ARM dumpsIntroduced native debugging support for ARM dumps in Visual Studio 2012 Update 1, allowing developers to open and debug ARM dumps directly. Also added the capability to save remote dumps locally when debugging an application on a remote machine, streamlining the process of analyzing issues on ARM devices.
  16. Debugging on your Windows RT Device without a Network ConnectionIntroduces a method for remote debugging of Windows Store apps on Windows RT devices without a network connection. This involves using a standard Ethernet cable and a USB Ethernet adapter to create a direct physical connection between the development machine and the Windows RT device. The post provides detailed steps for configuring project properties in Visual Studio (C#, VB, JavaScript, C++) to utilize this direct connection for debugging, including accessing the Remote Debugger Connections dialog and selecting the device.