Advanced emulator usage

You might need to test your app on a virtual device using more than just basic touch screen gestures and phone movements. For example, you might want to simulate different locations or network conditions. This page covers advanced emulator features and different ways to launch the emulator with Android Studio.

The other pages in this section cover even more advanced ways to use the emulator, which require you to use the terminal. These more specialized use cases are:

For most app developers, the basic emulator navigation capabilities and the features on this page cover your testing needs. For a side-by-side comparison of what you can do with the emulator depending on how you interact with it, see the emulator feature comparison.

Limitations

The Android Emulator doesn't include virtual hardware for the following:

  • Bluetooth
  • NFC
  • SD card insert/eject
  • Device-attached headphones
  • USB

The watch emulator for Wear OS doesn't provide the Overview (Recent Apps) button, D-pad, or fingerprint sensor.