vercel-labs--zero-native/examples/android

Android Example

A minimal Android mobile shell that embeds a Native SDK static library through JNI. The example keeps a native Android header above a WebView workspace and routes native navigation/header actions through the Native SDK command path.

Android views own the mobile shell layout: native header sizing, density-aware resize events, touch forwarding, and the WebView workspace. The Native SDK runtime is driven through JNI calls into the C ABI.

Build the native library

Build or package an Android static library from the repository root, then copy it into this example:

zig build lib -Dtarget=aarch64-linux-android
mkdir -p examples/android/app/src/main/cpp/lib
cp zig-out/lib/libnative-sdk.a examples/android/app/src/main/cpp/lib/libnative-sdk.a

The CMake project expects the library at app/src/main/cpp/lib/libnative-sdk.a and the C header at app/src/main/cpp/native_sdk.h.

Run

Open examples/android in Android Studio, or build from the command line with a configured Android SDK:

./gradlew :app:assembleDebug

Install on an emulator or device:

./gradlew :app:installDebug

Files

• app/src/main/java/dev/native_sdk/examples/android/MainActivity.kt hosts native Android chrome, a WebView workspace, a SurfaceView, and the JNI bridge.
• app/src/main/cpp/native_sdk_jni.c forwards JNI calls to the Native SDK C ABI.
• app/src/main/cpp/CMakeLists.txt imports libnative-sdk.a and builds the JNI shared library.
• app.zon records the mobile example metadata for Native SDK tooling.

Host lifecycle

• onCreate loads the JNI library, creates the native shell, then starts the Native SDK app.
• onResume and onPause forward activation lifecycle with native_sdk_app_activate and native_sdk_app_deactivate.
• surfaceChanged forwards size, display density, safe-area insets, keyboard inset, and the Android Surface, then requests a frame.
• Orientation and screen-size changes stay in the same activity so the embedded runtime is not recreated during rotation.
• The activity uses windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize" so Android owns keyboard avoidance and relayouts the content area.
• The native Back and Refresh buttons call nativeCommand with stable mobile command IDs, update status from native_sdk_app_last_command_count, and request a frame.
• The Android system Back action dispatches mobile.back through the same command path.
• onTouchEvent forwards pointer id, phase, position, and pressure.
• The JNI bridge exposes hardware key, committed text, and IME composition entry points for GPU/widget text fields.
• The embedded C ABI can expose retained GPU/widget accessibility semantics by indexed snapshot and dispatch widget accessibility actions for Android accessibility providers.
• surfaceDestroyed and onDestroy stop and destroy the app.

The app.zon shell view tree describes this header and WebView workspace. Native mobile layout is still implemented in Kotlin so Android owns soft-keyboard relayout, Back handling, orientation changes, and activity lifecycle while the Native SDK receives the viewport metrics needed for GPU/widget layout.