How to link an Android phone with Visual Studio Code

How to link an Android phone with Visual Studio Code

Are you tired of constantly switching between your Android phone and your laptop? Do you want to streamline your development process by being able to work seamlessly on both platforms? If so, you’re in luck. In this article, we’ll explore how to link an Android phone with Visual Studio Code, allowing you to write code and debug it directly from your mobile device.

Linking Your Android Phone with Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a powerful code editor that can be used for developing applications on multiple platforms, including Android. To link your Android phone with VS Code, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  1. Install the Remote – WSL extension

  2. Install Docker Desktop

  3. Configure WSL

  4. Connect to WSL from VS Code

  5. Write code and debug it directly from your mobile device

1. Install the Remote – WSL extension

The first step is to install the Remote – WSL extension in VS Code. This extension allows you to connect to a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) instance on your Android phone and use it as a remote workspace within VS Code. To install the extension, follow these steps:

  1. Open VS Code and click on the “Extensions” icon in the left sidebar.

  2. Search for “Remote – WSL” and click on the extension to install it.

2. Install Docker Desktop

Next, you’ll need to install Docker Desktop on your Android phone. Docker is a popular platform that allows developers to build and run containerized applications. By installing Docker Desktop on your Android phone, you’ll be able to run containerized applications directly on your device, which will come in handy when developing Android apps. To install Docker Desktop, follow these steps:

  1. Download the Docker Desktop app from the Google Play Store.

  2. Follow the installation instructions and complete the setup process.

3. Configure WSL

Once you’ve installed the Remote – WSL extension in VS Code and Docker Desktop on your Android phone, it’s time to configure WSL. WSL allows you to run a Linux distribution on your Android device, which will act as a remote workspace within VS Code. To configure WSL, follow these steps:

  1. Open the “Terminal” app on your Android device.

  2. Type the following command and press Enter: `sudo apt-get update`

  3. Type the following command and press Enter: `sudo apt-get upgrade`

  4. Type the following command and press Enter: `wsl –install Ubuntu`

  5. Follow the installation instructions and complete the setup process.

4. Connect to WSL from VS Code

Now that you’ve configured WSL, it’s time to connect to it from VS Code. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open VS Code and select “View” from the menu at the top of the screen.

  2. Click on “Remote – SSH” in the dropdown menu that appears.

  3. Select “WSL” from the list of available options.

  4. Enter the username and IP address of your Android device, as well as the password you used to set up WSL.

  5. Click on “Connect” and wait for the connection to be established.

5. Write code and debug it directly from your mobile device

5. Write code and debug it directly from your mobile device

Once you’ve connected to WSL from VS Code, you can start writing code and debugging it directly from your Android phone. To do this, simply create a new file in VS Code and start coding as you normally would. You can also use the built-in debugger in VS Code to step through your code and identify any issues that arise.

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