Build an Android app
Build an Android app and install it on your own device. You decide what the app does.
Your app must run on an Android device or the browser emulator before the session ends.
That is the only rule. What you build inside it is yours to imagine — there is no spec to follow and no right answer. Bring the idea you have been sitting on, or invent one in the room. The best builds are the ones nobody saw coming.
Some directions people take
Optional. These are examples, not a menu — the point of this track is that you choose.
- A tool built around one phone sensor, such as the accelerometer or the light sensor
- A single-screen utility you would use the next day
- A game that responds to movement
- An app that shows one piece of information and nothing else
Things to keep in mind
- Choose the sensor or capability first, then decide what to build around it.
- Limit the app to one screen. Navigation and settings screens are out of scope for this session.
- Install the app on a device before you improve the design.
Built something? Two minutes, and it lands in the showcase. Half-finished is fine.
How the session flows
Every Coding Jam follows the same shape, whichever track the room takes.
- 0:00 – 0:15Intro
Grab a name tag and a slice, say hello to the instructor, and meet the people either side of you — you'll be asking them things later, so it pays to know their names now. Low pressure, high creativity, ship something messy. Then a quick word on what the room is building tonight, and you're off.
- 0:15 – 0:30Credits & setup
The instructor shares the Google Cloud credits with the room. Everyone gets their environment ready — whichever tool they brought. Nobody should be installing anything once the build starts.
- 0:30 – 1:35Build
Heads down, and enjoy it — this is the part everyone came for. The agent does the typing; you decide what it's making. Ask the room when you get stuck; someone two seats away hit the same wall ten minutes ago. Want more structure? The codelab walks the spec-driven route — Setup → Plan → Review → Build → API → Verify — but nobody has to follow it.
- 1:35 – 2:00Share & submit
Show the room what you made — two minutes, screen-shared from your seat. Half-finished is welcome; the wobbly ones are usually the most interesting. Say what surprised you along the way, and cheer for everyone else while you're at it. Then submit your build before you leave. This is the one thing not to skip — it's what puts your name and your chapter on the showcase, and it takes about two minutes.