android – Build and Install unsigned apk on device without the development server?

You need to manually create the bundle for a debug build.

Bundle debug build:

#React-Native 0.59
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/src/main/res

#React-Native 0.49.0+
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

#React-Native 0-0.49.0
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

Then to build the APK’s after bundling:

$ cd android
#Create debug build:
$ ./gradlew assembleDebug
#Create release build:
$ ./gradlew assembleRelease #Generated `apk` will be located at `android/app/build/outputs/apk`

P.S. Another approach might be to modify gradle scripts.

Please follow those steps.

Bundle your js:

if you have index.android.js in project root then run

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

if you have index.js in project root then run

react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res

Create debug apk:

cd android/
./gradlew assembleDebug

Then You can find your apk here:

cd app/build/outputs/apk/

Latest Update

In your root project directory

Make sure you have already directory android/app/src/main/assets/, if not create directory, after that create new file and save as index.android.bundle and put your file in like this android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle

After that run this

react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res/

cd android && ./gradlew assembleDebug

Then you can get apk in app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

With me, in the project directory run the following commands.

For react native old version (you will see index.android.js in root):

mkdir -p android/app/src/main/assets && rm -rf android/app/build && react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res && cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease && cd ../

For react native new version (you just see index.js in root):

mkdir -p android/app/src/main/assets && rm -rf android/app/build && react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res && cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease && cd ../

The apk file will be generated at:

• Gradle < 3.0: android/app/build/outputs/apk/
• Gradle 3.0+: android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/

After you follow the first response, you can run your app using

react-native run-android --variant=debug

And your app will run without need for the packager

For Windows user if all steps followed properly from this: https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/signed-apk-android.html

You need to only run: gradlew assembleRelease

And your file will be:

• app-release.apk
• app-release-unaligned.apk

Location: E:\YourProjectName\android\app\build\outputs\apk

I’m on react native 0.55.4, basically i had to bundle manually:

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle- 
output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets- 
dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

Then connect your device via usb, enable usb debugging. Verify the connected device with adb devices.

Lastly run react-native run-android which will install the debug apk on your phone and you can run it fine with the dev server

Note:

• From 0.49.0, the entrypoint is a single index.js
• gradlew assembleRelease only generates the release-unsigned apks which cannot be installed

It can be possible to generate an unsigned apk version for testing purpose so you can run on your mobile.

Initially i got the red screen errors as most mentioned here. but i followed the same which was mentioned here and it worked for me.

On your console from working directory, run these four commands

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

cd android

gradlew assembleDebug

gradlew assembleRelease

And then APK file will produce on : android\app\build\outputs\apk\debug\app-debug.apk

Just in case someone else is recently getting into this same issue, I’m using React Native 0.59.8 (tested with RN 0.60 as well) and I can confirm some of the other answers, here are the steps:

1. Uninstall the latest compiled version of your app installed you have on your device

2. Run react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res

3. run cd android/ && ./gradlew assembleDebug

4. Get your app-debug.apk in folder android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug

good luck!

As of react-native 0.57, none of the previously provided answers will work anymore, as the directories in which gradle expects to find the bundle and the assets have changed.

Simple way without react-native bundle

The simplest way to build a debug build is without using the react-native bundle command at all, but by simply modifying your app/build.gradle file.

Inside the project.ext.react map in the app/build.gradle file, add the bundleInDebug: true entry.
If you want it to not be a --dev build (no warnings and minified bundle) then you should also add the devDisabledInDebug: true entry to the same map.

With react-native bundle

If for some reason you need to or want to use the react-native bundle command to create the bundle and then the ./gradlew assembleDebug to create the APK with the bundle and the assets you have to make sure to put the bundle and the assets in the correct paths, where gradle can find them.

As of react-native 0.57 those paths are
android/app/build/generated/assets/react/debug/index.android.js for the bundle

and android/app/build/generated/res/react/debug for the assets. So the full commands for manually bundling and building the APK with the bundle and assets are:

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/generated/assets/react/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/res/react/debug

and then

./gradlew assembleDebug

Bundle and assets path

Note that that paths where gradle looks for the bundle and the assets might be subject to change. To find out where those paths are, look at the react.gradle file in your node_modules/react-native directory. The lines starting with def jsBundleDir = and def resourcesDir = specify the directories where gradle looks for the bundle and the assets respectively.

I found a solution changing buildTypes like this:

buildTypes {
  release {
    signingConfig signingConfigs.release
  }
}