We’ve been adding some really great features to our mobile projects in the past few months, but there’s one thing we got a lot of requests for: Android Projects.
Getting started with Android Projects
Getting your Android project up and running is just like starting any other project. Create a new project and select Android Phone in the project type dropdown.
Pro Tip: There’s an icon next to the title of your project that shows if it’s a desktop, tablet or mobile project. Click it at anytime to change your project type.
New Android skins
When viewing an Android project on your computer, you can switch between two skins: The Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Android projects will of course work on any Android phone, these skins are just here to make life a little easier by adding additional context to your design.
Pro tip: InVision will scale any mobile design to the device it’s being viewed on, so you can breathe a little easier as you create your projects—we do our best to build features that just work.
New iOS skins: iPhone 4 + white devices
On iPhone projects you can now toggle between the iPhone 4 and 5, and choose black or white device skins on any iOS project.
New desktop-view option: Hide the status bar
Sometimes you run into a situation where you need to hide the status bar altogether. Due to current OS restrictions (iOS and Android), we can’t achieve this on the device itself, however, you can select to turn off the status bar when viewing or presenting a mobile project on your computer.
It’s still a good idea to make the status bar match your design as much as possible using the tools we provide in the configuration menu. In case someone does want to view it on the actual device.
Fullscreen viewing on Android devices
To give your app a native feel, and view your prototype full screen without a browser bar, forward and back buttons, etc., you’ll need to download the latest Chrome Beta from Google.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed Chrome Beta, follow the instructions below.
- Open the Menu in Chrome Beta
- Select Add to Home Screen
- Go to your Home Screen and launch your newly added Prototype
Android resolution info
We’re recommending you design your Android projects at a 16:9 aspect ratio and either 720p or 1080p resolution.
Resolutions
1080p: 1080 x 1920
720p: 720 x 1280
(Listed heights are actually minimum-heights, mobile projects can scroll)
Note: The Android ecosystem is extremely diverse, because of that we’re basing our sizing recommendations off of current trends. If you’re looking for specs on a specific device, http://screensiz.es is a great resource.
Let us know what you think
Your feedback helps push us forward even faster. As always, give it a try, and let us know what you think.
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by Andy Orsow
Designer and product marketer at InVision, resident GIF-ologist and video maker.
