Android Configuration

To ensure Freak-Flix runs optimally on Android devices—supporting high-definition streaming, local file access, and secure authentication—follow the configuration steps below.

1. Permissions Configuration

Freak-Flix requires specific permissions to fetch metadata, stream from cloud providers (OneDrive), and scan local media.

Update your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml to include the following:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <!-- Internet access for TMDB, AniList, StashDB, and OneDrive streaming -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>

    <!-- Required for scanning and playing local video files -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>
    <!-- Required for Android 13+ (API 33+) local media access -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO"/>

    <!-- Keeps the screen on during video playback -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>

    <application ...>
        <!-- Ensure hardware acceleration is enabled for smooth video playback -->
        <activity
            android:name=".MainActivity"
            android:hardwareAccelerated="true"
            ...>
            
            <!-- (Optional) Deep Linking for OneDrive/Auth0 Authentication -->
            <intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
                <data android:scheme="freakflix" android:host="auth" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>
</manifest>

2. Build Requirements (Gradle)

The media engine used by Freak-Flix requires a minimum SDK version of 21 (Android 5.0).

Modify android/app/build.gradle:

android {
    defaultConfig {
        // Required for media_kit and modern video codecs
        minSdkVersion 21 
        targetSdkVersion 33
        versionCode flutterVersionCode.toInteger()
        versionName flutterVersionName
    }

    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }

    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = '1.8'
    }
}

3. Audio & Video Optimization

Freak-Flix utilizes media_kit for high-performance playback. To prevent the OS from killing the playback service when the app is minimized, ensure your MainActivity.kt (located in android/app/src/main/kotlin/.../) is correctly configured to handle Flutter's engine lifecycle.

package com.mndl27.freak_flix

import io.flutter.embedding.android.FlutterActivity

class MainActivity: FlutterActivity() {
    // Standard FlutterActivity is sufficient for most builds.
    // If implementing custom Picture-in-Picture (PiP), override 
    // onUserLeaveHint or onPictureInPictureModeChanged here.
}

4. Release Build Configuration (ProGuard/R8)

If you are building the APK or App Bundle for production, you must prevent R8/ProGuard from obfuscating the native media classes and the backend models.

Add the following to android/app/proguard-rules.pro:

# Preserve Flutter and Media Kit classes
-keep class io.flutter.app.** { *; }
-keep class io.flutter.plugin.** { *; }
-keep class com.alexmercerind.mediakit.** { *; }

# Preserve models for JSON serialization (TMDB/StashDB)
-keep class com.mndl27.freak_flix.models.** { *; }

Enable ProGuard in your android/app/build.gradle:

buildTypes {
    release {
        signingConfig signingConfigs.release
        minifyEnabled true
        useProguard true
        proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
    }
}

5. Deployment

To build and install the app on a connected device or emulator:

# Debug mode
flutter run -d android

# Generate a release APK
flutter build apk --release

# Generate an App Bundle for Google Play
flutter build appbundle