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What is AndroidX? Based on the Android documentation: “AndroidX is a major improvement to the original Android Support Library, which is no longer maintained. AndroidX packages fully replace the Support Library by providing feature parity and new libraries.” Learn how you can use AndroidX today with Telerik UI for Xamarin.

The Telerik components for Xamarin.Android are now migrated to AndroidX—a new version of the support library, following the release of Android 9.0 (API level 28). You can now use all the latest and greatest development in AndroidX along with our controls. 

Features Included in AndroidX:

  • All packages in AndroidX have a consistent namespace starting with androidx. Android Support Library packages are mapped into corresponding androidx.* package.
  • Androidx packages are separately maintained and updated. Now you can update AndroidX libraries independently of each other.
  • There will be no more releases of the Android Support Libraries—the last version is v28. The development process will be focused on androidx.

Requirements for Using AndroidX in a Xamarin-Based App:

  • Visual Studio 2019 - On Windows update to Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 or later. On macOS, update to Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.4 or later.
  • Xamarin.Android - Xamarin.Android 10.0 or later must be installed with Visual Studio (Xamarin.Android is automatically installed as part of the Mobile Development With .NET workload on Windows and installed as part of the Visual Studio for Mac Installer).
  • Java Developer Kit - Xamarin.Android 10.0 development requires JDK 8. Microsoft's distribution of the OpenJDK is automatically installed as part of Visual Studio.
  • Android SDK - Android SDK API 28 or higher must be installed via the Android SDK Manager.

Telerik UI for Xamarin and Android X

With the R3 2020 release of Telerik UI for Xamarin, the Telerik Xamarin.Android components have been migrated to use AndroidX packages. The controls serve as foundation for some of our Xamarin.Forms controls. This change allows you to use all the latest development in Android extensions (AndroidX) along with our controls.

The controls in the Telerik UI for Xamarin suite require specific AndroidX packages references inside the Android project to render correctly on Android.

Here is a list of the required AndroidX packages:

  • Xamarin.AndroidX.RecyclerView
  • Xamarin.AndroidX.AppCompat.Resources
  • Xamarin.AndroidX.Lifecycle.LiveData
  • Xamarin.AndroidX.Browser
  • Xamarin.AndroidX.Legacy.Support.V4
  • Xamarin.Google.Android.Material
  • Xamarin.AndroidX.Migration

IMPORTANT! If the app targets Android9, Xamarin.AndroidX.Migration nuget package should be of version 1.0.6.1.

If you are using the Telerik UI for Xamarin RichTextEditor control, you will need to add a reference to the Mono.Android.Export.dll.

mono android export

Migrate Your Current Project to Android X

If your current project uses a Telerik UI for Xamarin version before the R3 2020 release, and you want to use the AndroidX package, then you should update the Telerik UI for Xamarin version.

telerik xamarin android x

Visual Studio will install the Telerik.UI.for.Xamarin NuGet package and its dependencies:

androidx dependencies

Clean and Rebuild the Solution, then Run the project on Android.

Your Voice Is Important

As always, your feedback is incredibly valuable for us and plays a great role when setting up our future roadmap. With this in mind, we would love to hear from you on what you would like to see available in the offering or what we can do to improve your every-day experience in the dynamic world of the cross-platform application development. You can write in the Telerik UI for Xamarin Feedback portal or simply raise a ticket. 

If you have not yet tried the Telerik UI for Xamarin suite, take it out for a spin with a 30-day free trial, offering all the functionalities and controls at your disposal at zero cost.

Real-World Xamarin App Examples

Discover the power of Telerik UI for Xamarin with several fully functional, real-world Xamarin.Forms application examples.

Examples source code can be checked in the Telerik Xamarin.Forms Samples GitHub repo.

Happy coding with our controls! ;) 

Dobrinka Yordanova
About the Author

Dobrinka Yordanova

Dobrinka Yordanova is a Technical Support Engineer, part of the Progress Telerik UI for Xamarin & UWP team in Sofia, Bulgaria. She holds a master's degree in Computer Systems and Technologies. Her passion is traveling around the world and exploring multicultural environments. In her spare time she likes making sushi, playing console games and hanging out with friends.

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