If you want to turn your website into an Android app for free, this guide will show you how. Using Kotlin and Android Studio, you can easily create an app that loads your website. Follow the steps below to get started.
What You’ll Need:
- Android Studio – Download it from the Android Developer website.
- Basic Kotlin knowledge – Understanding the basics will help, but it’s not mandatory.
- Your website URL – The website you want to convert.
Step 1: Set Up Your Project
- Open Android Studio.
- Click New Project, then select Empty Activity, and click Next.
- Name your project (e.g.,
WebsiteApp).
- Select Kotlin as the programming language.
- Click Finish to create the project.
Step 2: Add Internet Permission
To allow your app to access the internet, you must enable the required permission.
Add the following line to the <manifest> tag in the AndroidManifest.xml file:
<uses-permission android:name=”android.permission.INTERNET” /> Step 3: Design the WebView
A WebView is used to display your website inside the app. Update the activity_main.xml file to include the WebView.
Replace the contents of activity_main.xml with this:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android” android:layout_width=”match_parent” android:layout_height=”match_parent”>
<WebView
android:id=”@+id/webView”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”match_parent” />
Step 4: Load Your Website in the WebView
To make the WebView load your website, you need to write code in MainActivity.kt.
Replace the code in MainActivity.kt with this:
package com.example.websiteapp
import android.os.Bundle import android.webkit.WebSettings import android.webkit.WebView import android.webkit.WebViewClient import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
val webView: WebView = findViewById(R.id.webView)
webView.webViewClient = WebViewClient()
val webSettings: WebSettings = webView.settings
webSettings.javaScriptEnabled = true
webView.loadUrl(“https://your-website.com”)
}
} Replace "https://your-website.com" with your website’s URL.
Step 5: Test Your App
- Connect an Android device or open an emulator in Android Studio.
- Click Run (green play button) in Android Studio.
- The app should load your website inside the WebView.
Step 6: Add a Progress Bar (Optional)
You can add a progress bar to improve the user experience while the website is loading.
- Update
activity_main.xml:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android” android:layout_width=”match_parent” android:layout_height=”match_parent”>
<ProgressBar
android:id=”@+id/progressBar”
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:layout_centerInParent=”true” />
<WebView
android:id=”@+id/webView”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”match_parent” />
2: Update MainActivity.kt:
package com.example.websiteapp
import android.os.Bundle import android.view.View import android.webkit.WebChromeClient import android.webkit.WebSettings import android.webkit.WebView import android.webkit.WebViewClient import android.widget.ProgressBar import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
val progressBar: ProgressBar = findViewById(R.id.progressBar)
val webView: WebView = findViewById(R.id.webView)
webView.webViewClient = WebViewClient()
webView.webChromeClient = object : WebChromeClient() {
override fun onProgressChanged(view: WebView?, newProgress: Int) {
if (newProgress == 100) {
progressBar.visibility = View.GONE
} else {
progressBar.visibility = View.VISIBLE
progressBar.progress = newProgress
}
}
}
val webSettings: WebSettings = webView.settings
webSettings.javaScriptEnabled = true
webView.loadUrl(“https://your-website.com”)
}
} Step 7: Generate the APK
- Go to Build → Build Bundle(s)/APK(s) → Build APK(s).
- After the build is complete, locate the APK in the
output folder of your project.
