moltbot/apps/android/README.md

OpenClaw Android App

Status: extremely alpha. The app is actively being rebuilt from the ground up.

Rebuild Checklist

• New 4-step onboarding flow
• Connect tab with Setup Code + Manual modes
• Encrypted persistence for gateway setup/auth state
• Chat UI restyled
• Settings UI restyled and de-duplicated (gateway controls moved to Connect)
• QR code scanning in onboarding
• Performance improvements
• Streaming support in chat UI
• Request camera/location and other permissions in onboarding/settings flow
• Push notifications for gateway/chat status updates
• Security hardening (biometric lock, token handling, safer defaults)
• Voice tab full functionality
• Screen tab full functionality
• Full end-to-end QA and release hardening

Open in Android Studio

• Open the folder apps/android.

Build / Run

cd apps/android
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug
./gradlew :app:installDebug
./gradlew :app:testDebugUnitTest

gradlew auto-detects the Android SDK at ~/Library/Android/sdk (macOS default) if ANDROID_SDK_ROOT / ANDROID_HOME are unset.

Run on a Real Android Phone (USB)

1. On phone, enable Developer options + USB debugging.
2. Connect by USB and accept the debugging trust prompt on phone.
3. Verify ADB can see the device:

adb devices -l

4. Install + launch debug build:

pnpm android:install
pnpm android:run

If adb devices -l shows unauthorized, re-plug and accept the trust prompt again.

USB-only gateway testing (no LAN dependency)

Use adb reverse so Android localhost:18789 tunnels to your laptop localhost:18789.

Terminal A (gateway):

pnpm openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose

Terminal B (USB tunnel):

adb reverse tcp:18789 tcp:18789

Then in app Connect → Manual:

• Host: 127.0.0.1
• Port: 18789
• TLS: off

Hot Reload / Fast Iteration

This app is native Kotlin + Jetpack Compose.

• For Compose UI edits: use Android Studio Live Edit on a debug build (works on physical devices; project minSdk=31 already meets API requirement).
• For many non-structural code/resource changes: use Android Studio Apply Changes.
• For structural/native/manifest/Gradle changes: do full reinstall (pnpm android:run).
• Canvas web content already supports live reload when loaded from Gateway __openclaw__/canvas/ (see docs/platforms/android.md).

Connect / Pair

1. Start the gateway (on your main machine):

pnpm openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose

2. In the Android app:

• Open the Connect tab.
• Use Setup Code or Manual mode to connect.

3. Approve pairing (on the gateway machine):

openclaw nodes pending
openclaw nodes approve <requestId>

More details: docs/platforms/android.md.

Permissions

• Discovery:
  • Android 13+ (API 33+): NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES
  • Android 12 and below: ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION (required for NSD scanning)
• Foreground service notification (Android 13+): POST_NOTIFICATIONS
• Camera:
  • CAMERA for camera.snap and camera.clip
  • RECORD_AUDIO for camera.clip when includeAudio=true

Contributions

This Android app is currently being rebuilt. Maintainer: @obviyus. For issues/questions/contributions, please open an issue or reach out on Discord.