Issue : #300

submissions/discussion/Android_eshaanag.md

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+Android Native Setup Guide for SnapMap (Expo → Native)
+
+Author: eshaanag
+Branch used: crop-feature
+OS: macOS (Apple Silicon)
+Target: Run SnapMap using Expo Dev Client / Native Android build instead of Expo Go
+
+## Why this was needed
+
+Initially SnapMap was being run using **Expo Go**, but some features like **image cropping** use **native libraries** which do not work inside Expo Go.
+
+So the app must be run as a **full native Android app** using **Expo Prebuild + Android Studio**.
+
+This document explains **exactly what I did** to make SnapMap run as a native Android app.
+
+---
+
+## My System
+
+- macOS (Apple Silicon)
+- Node.js installed
+- Android Studio latest version
+- Java 17
+- Emulator: Pixel 5 (API 34)
+
+---
+
+## Step 1 — Install Android Studio
+
+I downloaded Android Studio from:
+
+https://developer.android.com/studio
+
+Then opened it and completed the **Standard Setup**.
+
+---
+
+## Step 2 — Setup Android SDK & Emulator
+
+From Android Studio:
+
+- Opened **Device Manager**
+- Clicked **Add Device**
+- Created **Pixel 5 (API 34, ARM64)**
+
+---
+
+## Step 3 — Setup Environment Variables
+
+I added this to `~/.zshrc`:
+
+export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Library/Android/sdk
+export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
+export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
+
+Then ran:
+
+source ~/.zshrc
+adb --version
+
+---
+
+## Step 4 — Clone Repo & Switch Branch
+
+git clone https://github.com/eshaanag/SnapMap
+
+cd SnapMap
+git checkout crop-feature
+cd frontend
+npm install
+
+---
+
+## Step 5 — Generate Native Project
+
+I ran:
+npx expo prebuild
+
+This generated the `android/` folder.
+
+---
+
+## Step 6 — Run Native Android App
+
+First I started the emulator, then:
+
+
+This took some time but successfully:
+
+- Downloaded Gradle
+- Built APK
+- Installed app on emulator
+
+### Build output (Gradle + APK install)
+
+![Build Success](../../assets/eshaanag/build-success.png)
+
+---
+
+## Step 7 — App Running
+
+Finally the app opened in the emulator:
+
+![App Running](../../assets/eshaanag/metro-running.png)
+
+---
+
+## Note about Clerk Error
+
+I got this error:
+
+@clerk/clerk-expo: Missing publishableKey
+
+This is because `.env` is not configured, but the **native build works successfully**, which is the goal of this issue.
+
+### Clerk error screen (expected without .env)
+
+![Clerk Error](../../assets/eshaanag/clerk-error.png)
+
+---
+
+## Final Result
+
+- SnapMap runs as a **native Android app**
+- Not using Expo Go
+- Native libraries like crop picker are now supported
+- Android Studio build works successfully
+
+---
+
+## Conclusion
+
+This confirms SnapMap can be developed using **Android Studio + Native Expo build**, which is required for libraries that do not support Expo Go.