diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 7f141ab59..28fdd54a5 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,42 +1,38 @@
-language: android
+dist: trusty
+language: java
 jdk: oraclejdk8
-cache:
-  directories:
-    - $HOME/.gradle/caches/
-    - $HOME/.gradle/wrapper/
-android:
-  components:
-    # use the latest revision of Android SDK Tools
-    - tools
-    - platform-tools
+sudo: required
 
-    # The BuildTools version used by your project
-    - build-tools-23.0.2
+# set android sdk environment variable
+env:
+  - ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/android-sdk-linux
 
-    # The SDK version used to compile your project
-    - android-24
+before_install:
+   - nvm install 0.10
+   - pip install coveralls
+   - sudo apt-get install lib32stdc++6 lib32z1
 
-    # Additional components
-    - extra-google-google_play_services
-    - extra-google-m2repository
-    - extra-android-m2repository
+install:
+  # Disable Travis CI's built-in NVM installation
+  - mv ~/.nvm ~/.travis-nvm-disabled
+  - ./setup_server.sh
+  - ./installSDK.sh
 
-    # uncomment when we enable espresso tests
-    # - sys-img-armeabi-v7a-android-21
+# Emulator Management: Create
+before_script:
+  - export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
+  - echo no | android create avd --force -n test -t android-24 --abi armeabi-v7a
 
-  licenses:
-   - 'android-sdk-license-.+'
-
-# uncomment the following lines to use emulator while runnning espresso tests
-# Emulator Management: Create, Start and Wait
-#before_script:
-#  - echo no | android create avd --force -n test -t android-21 --abi armeabi-v7a
-#  - emulator -avd test -no-skin -no-audio -no-window &
-#  - android-wait-for-emulator
-#  - adb shell input keyevent 82 &
-
-# run gradle lint and
-# gradle build without using using tests for now (assemble) on debug build only
+# run gradle lint and gradle build without using using tests for now (assemble)
+# on debug build only
 script:
+#uncomment the code below when tests are not flaky
+#  - ./getIp.sh
+#  - ./run.sh
   - ./gradlew lintDebug
   - ./gradlew assembleDebug
+addons:
+  postgresql: "9.3"
+  apt:
+    packages:
+      - iproute2
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diff --git a/getIp.sh b/getIp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..7fdf4e387
--- /dev/null
+++ b/getIp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# get ip address of host
+OUTPUT="$(ip a | grep inet | sed -n '2p')"
+arr=(${OUTPUT})
+echo ${arr[1]} | cut -f1 -d'/'
+ipAddress="$(echo ${arr[1]} | cut -f1 -d'/')"
+
+# set ipaddress append with port 9991 as server url in BaseTest and LoginDevAuthTest
+sed -i "51s/.*/config.vm.network “forwarded_port”, guest: 9991, host: host_port, host_ip: \"0.0.0.0\"/" zulip/Vagrantfile
+sed -i "42s/.*/    private static String SERVER_URL = \"http:\/\/${ipAddress}:9991\";/" app/src/androidTest/java/com/zulip/android/activities/LoginDevAuthTest.java
+sed -i "40s/.*/    public static final String SERVER_URL = \"http:\/\/${ipAddress}:9991\";/" app/src/androidTest/java/com/zulip/android/activities/BaseTest.java
diff --git a/installSDK.sh b/installSDK.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..e38e087fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/installSDK.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# install sdk
+curl --location http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r24.4.1-linux.tgz | tar -x -z -C $HOME
+export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/android-sdk-linux
+export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/tools:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
+
+# update sdk with build tools and other components used by the project
+( sleep 5 && while [ 1 ]; do sleep 1; echo y; done ) | android update sdk -u -a -t 1,2,11,34,64,166,172,173
diff --git a/run.sh b/run.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1c72875c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/run.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# enable auth backends
+sed -i "19s/.*/AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = ('zproject.backends.EmailAuthBackend',)/" zulip/zproject/dev_settings.py
+
+# run server and emulator in parallel
+./runServer.sh &
+./runTests.sh
+wait
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diff --git a/runServer.sh b/runServer.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..27ce8dc11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runServer.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# starts the development server
+cd zulip
+source tools/travis/activate-venv
+./tools/run-dev.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/runTests.sh b/runTests.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a946fcd3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runTests.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+#Start the emulator
+$ANDROID_HOME/tools/emulator -avd test -no-window -wipe-data &
+EMULATOR_PID=$!
+
+# Wait for Android to finish booting
+WAIT_CMD="$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools/adb wait-for-device shell getprop init.svc.bootanim"
+until $WAIT_CMD | grep -m 1 stopped; do
+  echo "Waiting..."
+  sleep 1
+done
+
+# Unlock the Lock Screen
+$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools/adb shell input keyevent 82
+
+
+# Run the tests
+./gradlew connectedDebugAndroidTest -i
+
+# save exit code of previous command
+$exit_code = 0
+if [$?]
+then
+    $exit_code = 0
+else
+    $exit_code = 1
+fi
+
+# Stop the background processes
+kill $EMULATOR_PID
+
+# fail tests when error occurs
+exit $exit_code
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/setup_server.sh b/setup_server.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..07d91cc1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup_server.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+git clone https://github.com/zulip/zulip.git
+cd zulip
+
+# From a clone of zulip.git
+./tools/travis/setup-backend
+tools/clean-venv-cache --travis
+cd ..
\ No newline at end of file