Issue 55.5 - Android Studio Emulator Setup & App Run (testing) #368
Description
Description
Set up the SnapMap mobile application to run inside an Android Studio Emulator using the Expo development workflow. The app must be configured to communicate with the deployed backend API hosted on Render and run correctly inside the emulator for development and testing.
This issue focuses on local development and emulator-based testing, not APK generation.
Use the production branch for this.
Backend Configuration
The app must use the following backend base URL:
API_BASE_URL = https://snapmap.onrender.com
This value must be provided through Expo configuration and accessed using extra values.
Scope
- Set up Android Studio and Android Emulator
- Run the SnapMap app inside the emulator using Expo
- Ensure the app uses the production backend URL
- Verify core functionality inside the emulator
Configuration Changes
app.config.ts
Ensure the backend URL is defined under extra:
extra: {
API_BASE_URL: "https://snapmap.onrender.com"
}Ensure the app reads this value via Constants.expoConfig?.extra.
Environment & Tooling Requirements
- Android Studio installed
- Android Emulator (Pixel / API 30+ recommended)
- Node.js and npm installed
- Expo CLI installed
- Expo-managed workflow
Expected Steps
- Install and configure Android Studio
- Create and start an Android Virtual Device (AVD)
- Start the Expo dev server
- Launch the app inside the Android Emulator
- Confirm backend API calls work correctly
Output
- Screenshot or screen recording of the app running in the emulator
- Confirmation that API calls hit the production backend
- Short setup notes or troubleshooting tips (if any)
Acceptance Criteria
- App runs successfully inside Android Emulator
- App connects to
https://snapmap.onrender.com - No localhost or hardcoded URLs are used
- Core flows (auth, map, photo upload) function correctly
- Emulator setup is reproducible by other contributors
Notes
- No APK or AAB build is required
- This issue is focused on development setup
- Backend code must not be modified