Debug your Xamarin Apps with the Visual Studio Android Emulator

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Yes, it can be difficult to debug Android apps on Windows. The good news is, it doesn't have to be! If you are building cross-platform apps using technologies like Xamarin, the Visual Studio Android Emulator is your friend! In this video, I demonstrate how you can create a default cross-platform Xamarin.Forms app and start debugging it in about 3 minutes from start to finish!

Here's what you'll need:

  • A PC running Visual Studio 2015 (Community Edition works great). Make sure Xamarin tools and the Visual Studio Android Emulator are enabled in your Visual Studio install.
  • A Xamarin account - if you are a student you can get it free via Microsoft Imagine!

That's it. You don't have to install the Android SDK which can save you a bunch of time and disk space! Here's what the emulator looks like running a default Xamarin.Forms app:

Android-Emulator-with-VS-narrow-1024x854 850px

Want to know more? Here are some great resources:

Thanks,
Gavin