Day 2: How to Install Android Studio for Development - HandsOnAndroid — Build Better Android Apps, One Project at a Time

Welcome to Day 2 of our 90-Day Android Developer Journey! Today, we’re setting up the core foundation of your development environment: Android Studio.

Whether you’re on Windows, macOS, or Linux, this post will walk you through everything — from download to running your first emulator.

🎯 What You’ll Learn Today

What is Android Studio?
How to install Android Studio (step-by-step)
First-time configuration
Installing SDK & tools
Running your first emulator

🧰 What is Android Studio?

Android Studio is the official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Android development, built on JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA. It includes:

A code editor with smart code completion
Visual Layout Editor (especially for Compose & XML)
Integrated AVD (Android Virtual Device) Manager
Debugger, Profiler, Build Tools

🔍 If you’re serious about Android dev, Android Studio is where you live.

🛠️ Step-by-Step: Install Android Studio

1. ✅ Download Android Studio

Visit https://developer.android.com/studio
Choose your platform (Windows/macOS/Linux)

2. ✅ Install (Platform Specific)

Windows: Run .exe installer → Follow Wizard
macOS: Drag Android Studio to Applications
Linux: Extract .zip → Run studio.sh from the terminal

3. ✅ Launch the IDE

Accept license agreements
Choose Standard setup (recommended)
Download SDK components

⚙️ Configure Android Studio

1. SDK Manager

Check the installed SDK version (recommended: latest stable Android SDK)
Install Emulator, Platform Tools, and Build Tools
Location: Preferences > Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Android SDK

2. AVD Manager

Create a new Android Virtual Device
Choose Pixel 6 or similar device
Select latest system image (e.g., Android 14)
Test the emulator (boot up)

🧪 Verify Setup

Try this:

kotlinCopyEditfun main() {
    println("Hello Android Developer!")
}

Or create a new project with an Empty Compose Activity to make sure everything is running smoothly.

🧠 Bonus Tips

Enable Dark Theme in Android Studio for comfort
Use Shortcut Keys (Shift + Shift to search anything)
Install useful plugins like “Material Theme UI” or “ADB Idea”

📦 Recommended Settings (Optional)

Enable Gradle Offline Mode if you’re on slow internet
Increase Heap Size if you use heavy emulators
Set Custom Keymaps if coming from VS Code or Eclipse

🧭 What’s Next?

Tomorrow (Day 3), we’ll dive into Kotlin Basics — the core programming language for Android apps today. You’ll learn how to write your first real functions and variables in Kotlin.

📌 Recap

✅ Installed Android Studio
✅ Configured SDK & Emulator
✅ Ready to write your first Kotlin code tomorrow!

📣 Call to Action

📥 Downloadable Resource

✅ Free Checklist: Android Studio Setup PDF
(Add link once uploaded to Media Library)