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Copilot AI commented Sep 19, 2025

This PR addresses the lack of documentation around Android emulator support on Windows ARM devices by adding comprehensive guidance across key documentation files.

Changes Made

Hardware Acceleration Guide (docs/android/emulator/hardware-acceleration.md):

  • Added new "Windows ARM device limitations" section explaining x64 architecture requirement
  • Lists specific affected devices (Surface Pro X, Surface Pro 9 5G/ARM variant, other Snapdragon-based Windows devices)
  • Provides practical alternatives including physical device debugging, cloud environments, and Windows Subsystem for Android

Installation Guide (docs/get-started/installation.md):

  • Added IMPORTANT admonition during Android emulator setup to warn users upfront about ARM device incompatibility
  • Directs users to physical device debugging as an alternative

Troubleshooting Guide (docs/android/emulator/troubleshooting.md):

  • Enhanced performance issues section to include Windows ARM device incompatibility as a cause
  • Added dedicated "Windows ARM device compatibility" section with specific troubleshooting guidance
  • Explains architecture incompatibility and provides clear alternatives

Problem Addressed

The Android emulator requires x64 processor architecture as documented in Google's Android Emulator requirements. However, this limitation wasn't clearly documented in the .NET MAUI documentation, leading to confusion for developers using Windows ARM devices like Surface Pro X who encounter emulator startup issues or performance problems.

Result

Developers using Windows ARM devices now have clear documentation explaining:

  • Why the Android emulator doesn't work on their devices
  • What specific devices are affected
  • What alternatives are available for Android development and testing

The documentation follows existing patterns, maintains proper cross-references, and provides actionable guidance for affected users.

Fixes #2394.


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Internal previews

📄 File 🔗 Preview link
docs/android/emulator/hardware-acceleration.md docs/android/emulator/hardware-acceleration
docs/android/emulator/troubleshooting.md docs/android/emulator/troubleshooting
docs/get-started/installation.md docs/get-started/installation

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Learn Build status updates of commit cf80948:

✅ Validation status: passed

For more details, please refer to the build report.

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PoliCheck Scan Report

The following report lists PoliCheck issues in PR files. Before you merge the PR, you must fix all severity-1 issues. Other issues are also a high priority. The AI Review Details column lists suggestions for either removing or replacing the terms. If you find a false positive result, mention it in a PR comment and include this text: #policheck-false-positive. This feedback helps reduce false positives in future scans.

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Learn Build status updates of commit 200e399:

✅ Validation status: passed

File Status Preview URL Details
docs/android/emulator/hardware-acceleration.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/android/emulator/troubleshooting.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/get-started/installation.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)

For more details, please refer to the build report.

Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Android Emulators - Windows ARM Devices Add documentation for Windows ARM device limitations with Android emulators Sep 19, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from jfversluis September 19, 2025 19:50
Copilot finished work on behalf of jfversluis September 19, 2025 19:50
@jfversluis jfversluis marked this pull request as ready for review September 20, 2025 08:23
@jfversluis jfversluis requested a review from a team as a code owner September 20, 2025 08:23
@jfversluis jfversluis added 🏁 Release: .NET 10 Work items for the .NET 10 release and removed 🏁 Release: .NET 10 Work items for the .NET 10 release labels Oct 31, 2025
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Android Emulators - Windows ARM Devices

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