To build high-quality mobile applications with Xamarin, you must correctly configure your development environment with the necessary Android SDK components and platform-specific tools. While Xamarin has evolved into .NET MAUI , many developers still maintain existing projects or prefer the specific Xamarin.Android workflow.
Once your IDE is installed, you must use the (located under Tools > Android in Visual Studio) to download specific packages required for building and running your apps: android tools xamarin download
Required for compiling your code into an APK or AAB. To build high-quality mobile applications with Xamarin, you
Necessary for the Android Emulator . If you have an Intel or AMD processor with virtualization enabled, download the x86 or x86_64 images for much faster performance. Necessary for the Android Emulator
Required if your app uses maps, location services, or push notifications. 3. Specialized Developer Tools