Getting Started
The best introduction to Automotive Design for Compose is provided by following the Tutorial. Begin by following the steps below.
Install JDK 17
Automotive Design for Compose requires JDK 17 or later for command-line Gradle builds. Android Studio typically bundles a compatible JDK, but if you are building from the command line you may need to install one separately.
Verify your JDK version
java -version
You should see output indicating version 17 or later (e.g. openjdk version "17.0.x"). If your version is older or Java is not installed, follow the instructions below for your platform.
macOS
brew install openjdk@17
After installing, ensure it’s on your PATH by following the instructions printed by Homebrew, or add the following to your shell configuration:
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17/bin:$PATH"
Linux
Install OpenJDK 17 using your distribution’s package manager:
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install openjdk-17-jdk
# Fedora
sudo dnf install java-17-openjdk-devel
Windows
Download and install Eclipse Temurin JDK 17 from the Adoptium project.
Set JAVA_HOME
If Gradle still picks up the wrong JDK, set JAVA_HOME explicitly:
export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 17) # macOS
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk # Linux
Check out the code
To check out the code, which includes the Tutorial Android App, run the following:
git clone https://github.com/google/automotive-design-compose.git
Update Android Studio
The Tutorial Android App requires Android Studio Flamingo or later.
Supported Android SDK levels
DesignCompose supports the following Android SDK levels:
| Property | Value | Android Version |
|---|---|---|
| minSdk | 26 | Android 8.0 (Oreo) |
| targetSdk | 34 | Android 14 |
| compileSdk | 35 | Android 15 |
- minSdk 26 is set for broad Android Automotive compatibility, allowing DesignCompose to run on a wide range of automotive head units. Note that primary development and testing targets API 34+.
- compileSdk 35 means the SDK is compiled against the latest Android 15 APIs.
- targetSdk 34 indicates compatibility testing has been validated up to Android 14 behavioral changes.
For complete details on Android API levels, see the Android API level documentation.