Fluent Mobile

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js 24 — the app requires Node 24 specifically
• Android Studio — for the Android emulator

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Step 1: Install Node 24

Check your current Node version:

node --version

If it's not version 24, install and switch to it using NVM:

# install and use node 24
nvm install 24.14.0
nvm use 24.14.0

# verify
node --version  # verify it is v24.x.x

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Step 2: Install Android Studio

1. Download Android Studio from https://developer.android.com/studio
2. Extract and install it:

tar -xzf android-studio-*-linux.tar.gz
sudo mv android-studio /opt/android-studio
/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh

3. Follow the setup wizard — it will download the Android SDK automatically. Just click through the defaults.

Optional: Add Android Studio to your applications menu

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/android-studio.desktop

Paste this in and save:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=Android Studio
Exec=/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh
Icon=/opt/android-studio/bin/studio128.png
Categories=Development;IDE;
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=true

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Step 3: Install Java (JDK 17)

Check if Java is already installed:

java -version

If not installed, install JDK 17:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk

Find the installation path:

readlink -f $(which java)
# example output: /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64/bin/java

You'll need this path (minus /bin/java) in the next step when setting up environment variables.

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Step 4: Set Up Environment Variables

Add the following to your ~/.bashrc:

gedit ~/.bashrc

Paste at the bottom:

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android/Sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin

Note: Replace /usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64 with the path you found in Step 3 if it differs.

Apply the changes:

source ~/.bashrc

Verify it worked:

adb --version   # should print a version number
java -version   # should print java 17
echo $JAVA_HOME # should print the path you set

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Step 5: Set Up an Android Emulator

1. Open Android Studio: /opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh
2. Go to More Actions → Virtual Device Manager
3. Click Create Device
4. Pick a phone (e.g. Pixel 6) and click Next
5. Download and select a system image (API 33 or higher recommended)
6. Click Finish, then press the ▶ Play button to start the emulator

Wait for the emulator to fully boot before continuing.

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Step 6: Install Dependencies

Clone the repo and install:

git clone https://github.com/eten-tech-foundation/fluent-mobile.git
cd fluent-mobile
git checkout MVP_PoC_mobile_companion_app
npm install

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Step 7: Run the App

Open two terminal windows from the project root.

Terminal 1 — Start Metro:

npm start

Terminal 2 — Run on Android:

npm run android

The app should launch in your emulator automatically.

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Troubleshooting

adb: command not found Your environment variables aren't set. Make sure you completed Step 4 and ran source ~/.bashrc.

JAVA_HOME is not set error Java may be installed but JAVA_HOME not configured. Make sure you completed Step 3 and Step 4. If the path differs, find it with:

readlink -f $(which java)

Strip /bin/java from the output, update JAVA_HOME in ~/.bashrc, then run source ~/.bashrc.

npm run android fails with SDK not found Android Studio may have installed the SDK in a different location. Check:

ls ~/Android/Sdk

If that folder doesn't exist, open Android Studio → SDK Manager and note the SDK path shown at the top.

Metro bundler port already in use

npx react-native start --reset-cache

App installs but shows blank screen Make sure Metro is running in the other terminal before running npm run android.

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Modifying the App

Once the app is running, open any file in your editor and save — the app will reload automatically via Fast Refresh.

To force a full reload on Android: press R twice, or use Ctrl + M to open the Dev Menu.