emulator

Android SDK emulator for testing apps

TLDR

Start Android emulator

$ emulator -avd [avd_name]

List available AVDs

$ emulator -list-avds

Start with wiped user data

$ emulator -avd [avd_name] -wipe-data

Start without snapshot

$ emulator -avd [avd_name] -no-snapshot-load

Start with GPU acceleration

$ emulator -avd [avd_name] -gpu host

Start in headless mode

$ emulator -avd [avd_name] -no-window

SYNOPSIS

emulator [options] -avd name

emulator is the Android Emulator, part of the Android SDK. It runs Android Virtual Devices (AVDs) for app testing and development, simulating various Android devices with different API levels and configurations.
The emulator provides features like GPS simulation, network conditions, phone calls/SMS, camera, and accelerometer input. It integrates with Android Studio for debugging and testing.

PARAMETERS

-avd name

Android Virtual Device name.

-list-avds

List available AVDs.

-wipe-data

Reset user data.

-no-snapshot-load

Don't load snapshot.

-no-snapshot-save

Don't save snapshot on exit.

-gpu mode

GPU mode: auto, host, swiftshader, off.

-no-window

Headless mode.

-no-audio

Disable audio.

-memory size

RAM size in MB.

-port port

Console port number.

-dns-server servers

DNS server addresses.

-http-proxy proxy

HTTP proxy address.

CONFIGURATION

~/.android/avd/

Directory containing Android Virtual Device configurations and data.

config.ini

AVD-specific configuration file within each AVD directory.

CAVEATS

Requires hardware virtualization (KVM on Linux, HAXM/Hypervisor on others). First boot is slow. x86 images run faster than ARM emulation. Requires significant RAM and CPU. Some hardware features cannot be fully emulated.

HISTORY

The Android Emulator was introduced with the first Android SDK by Google in 2008. It has evolved significantly, with QEMU-based architecture improving performance and accuracy. Modern versions use hardware acceleration and quick boot for faster startup.