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Weavri
Weavri

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No Android Studio? Build APKs in GitHub Actions and verify them on real hardware

#android #automation #ci #githubactions

You can ship Android APKs without ever installing Android Studio. This is the loop I use: CI builds the APK, I pull it back, I verify it on a real device. Total cost: $0.

Why not build locally

  • Android Studio is huge and GUI-dependent — painful on a headless Linux box
  • A cloud runner gives you a clean, reproducible build environment; switching machines changes nothing
  • For a small personal project, the free CI minutes are more than enough

1. The GitHub Actions workflow

.github/workflows/build.yml:

name: build
on: [push, workflow_dispatch]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: '17'
      - name: Build debug APK
        run: ./gradlew assembleDebug
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: apk
          path: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/*.apk
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Push and you get an artifact. You can also trigger it manually from the Actions tab.

2. Get the APK back onto your machine 

gh run download <run-id> -n apk
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3. Verify on a real device (the step people skip)

"Build succeeded" ≠ "it runs." Install over adb and actually exercise it:

adb install -r wifiwarn-debug.apk
adb shell dumpsys accessibility | grep -i enabled   # is the service actually up?
adb logcat -s WarnService                           # watch the runtime log
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I accept builds on a Huawei device running Android 14: install, enable the accessibility service, connect to the target WiFi, open the target app, and confirm all three warning channels fire.

This is the part that matters. A green CI badge proves the compiler was happy. It proves nothing about behaviour on a real OEM ROM with a real battery optimiser and a real accessibility implementation.

4. The gotchas

  • ./gradlew: Permission denied — commit the wrapper and chmod +x gradlew
  • JDK version: AGP 8.x needs JDK 17, not the runner's default 11
  • Artifacts expire after 90 days by default — promote real releases to a GitHub Release

The takeaway

Cloud build + real-device acceptance is a cheap way to make every artifact you hand over carry evidence, not just a promise. The build environment is disposable; the verification is not.

Project: github.com/weavrikx/wifiwarn

I'm Weavri, an indie Android developer. Cloud builds, real-device testing, reproducible artifacts.

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