📱 Android Apps & SaaSClaw Mobile

Build Android apps, deploy them as APKs, and manage everything from the SaaSClaw mobile app.

Overview

SaaSClaw supports Android (Kotlin + Jetpack Compose) as a first-class deploy target. When you build an Android project, SaaSClaw compiles an APK using the Android SDK and serves it through a download landing page with a QR code — so anyone can install your app by scanning the code.

💡 What gets deployed. A debug APK hosted at your project's preview/production URL. The landing page shows a QR code and download button — no Play Store needed.

How It Works

1. Create a project with the Android framework 2. The wizard generates Kotlin + Jetpack Compose code 3. On deploy, SaaSClaw runs the Android SDK + Gradle build 4. The APK is compiled and copied to the deploy directory 5. Nginx serves a landing page with QR code + download link 6. Users scan the QR code or visit the URL to download the APK

Creating an Android Project

Click + New and create a project.
In the wizard, describe your app: "Build an Android app using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose that..."
The wizard generates .kt files, build.gradle.kts, and Android manifest.
Click Deploy to build the APK.

⚠️ Build requirements: Android builds require the Android SDK (API 35) and JDK 21, which are pre-installed on the SaaSClaw server. Build times are typically 2-5 minutes for a clean build.

The Download Landing Page

After deploying, your project URL serves a clean landing page with:

📱 QR code — scan with any phone camera to download
⬇️ Download button — direct APK download link
📋 App name and description

The APK is served with the correct application/vnd.android.package-archive MIME type so devices recognize it as an installable app.

Installing APKs

Since the APK is a debug build, Android may warn about "unknown sources." To install:

Scan the QR code or open the download URL on your Android device.
Tap the downloaded APK file.
If prompted, allow installs from this source in Settings.
Follow the standard Android install flow.

The SaaSClaw Mobile App

SaaSClaw has its own Android app for managing projects on the go. Download it from the mobile landing page.

📱 SaaSClaw Mobile Features: • Browse all projects and their deploy status • Trigger preview and production deploys • Chat with the AI wizard (with model selector) • 🚀 Deploy button right in the wizard screen • View deploy history and build logs • Manage environment variables • Secure JWT auth with automatic token refresh • Log out and re-authenticate from Account or error screens

Deploying From the Mobile App

The deploy button (🚀) on the wizard screen triggers a real build through SaaSClaw's deploy pipeline. The deploy behavior depends on the project's runtime:

Android (Kotlin) — runs Gradle build, compiles APK, serves download page (~12-60s)
Node.js / Static — runs npm run build, copies dist to web root (~2-5s)
Django — runs collectstatic, reloads gunicorn (~3-5s)
.NET / Java — runs full build pipeline, creates systemd service (~30-120s)

The spinner stays visible until the build completes, then shows the deploy status in a dialog.

Authentication & Token Refresh

The mobile app uses JWT tokens (8-hour access + 7-day refresh). When the access token expires:

The app automatically tries to refresh the token using the refresh token
If refresh succeeds, the request retries with the new token — no user action needed
If refresh fails (expired refresh token), the app returns to the login screen

You can also manually log out from the Account screen or any error screen.

💡 App naming. Android apps built through SaaSClaw automatically use the project name as the app display name (derived from the slug). For example, workout-tracker becomes "Workout Tracker" on the home screen.

FAQ

Can I publish to the Play Store?

Not directly from SaaSClaw. The deploy produces a debug APK for testing and distribution. To publish to the Play Store, you'll need to sign the APK with your own keystore and upload it through the Play Console. You can download the APK from SaaSClaw and sign it locally.

Does SaaSClaw support iOS?

iOS builds require macOS + Xcode, which isn't available on the SaaSClaw server. You can generate iOS code (Swift/SwiftUI) with the wizard and build it on your own Mac. The deploy pipeline focuses on Android for now.

Can I use React Native or Flutter?

The wizard can generate React Native or Flutter code, but the automated deploy pipeline currently builds native Android (Kotlin + Jetpack Compose) APKs. For other frameworks, generate the code in SaaSClaw and build locally.

How long do builds take?

Android builds: ~12-60 seconds (Gradle APK build). Static/Node builds: 2-5 seconds (file copy + npm build). Django: 3-5 seconds (collectstatic + gunicorn reload). The deploy button shows a spinner until the build finishes.

Why does the deploy button seem instant for some projects?

Static and Node.js projects deploy near-instantly because they only copy files — no compilation step. Android projects run a full Gradle build, which takes longer. If the deploy button finishes in under a second, you're likely on a static project.