Android

LifeWell Android is the primary mobile target — a Capacitor 8 app that wraps the React web app in a native shell. Distributed via Google Play Store, supports Android 7.0 (API 24) and later, and uses native services for push, local notifications, and (opt-in) background location.

Install

1. Open the Google Play Store on your phone.
2. Search for LifeWell by Ahsan Mahmood.
3. Tap Install.
4. Open the app once installed.
5. Sign in (Google or email) — same account as the web.

App ID: com.aoneahsan.lifewell.

Minimum requirements

Item	Minimum
Android version	7.0 (Nougat) — API 24
Storage	~80 MB initial install; grows with cached data
RAM	2 GB recommended
Architecture	armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86_64 (Play Store handles auto-selection)
Network	Required for first launch + sync; many features work offline

The minimum API 24 covers ~95%+ of active Android devices as of 2024–2025.

Permissions

LifeWell declares the following Android permissions (in AndroidManifest.xml):

Permission	Purpose	When requested
INTERNET	Network connectivity	Implicit
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE	Detect online/offline state	Implicit
POST_NOTIFICATIONS	Show notifications (Android 13+)	First time a reminder fires
RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED	Restore scheduled reminders after reboot	Implicit
WAKE_LOCK	Keep CPU awake for time-critical reminders	Implicit
FOREGROUND_SERVICE	Background reminder service	Implicit
CAMERA	Take photos for memories	At first camera use
READ_MEDIA_IMAGES	Gallery photo picker	At first photo selection
READ_CONTACTS	Optional device-contact import	At opt-in only
ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION	Optional location snapshots	At opt-in only
ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION	Optional background location	At opt-in only
VIBRATE	Reminder vibration	Implicit

Every sensitive permission has:

1. Runtime-prompt UX — asked when you use the feature, not at launch.
2. Privacy-policy section explaining why it's needed.
3. Data Safety form entry in the Play Store listing.
4. Non-permission fallback — e.g. if you decline camera, you can pick from gallery.

Edge-to-edge layout

Android 15+ enforces edge-to-edge layout by default. LifeWell handles this:

• Status bar overlays the app — content padded with safe-area-inset-top.
• Navigation bar overlays the app — content padded with safe-area-inset-bottom.
• Theme-aware status-bar colour (light icons on dark theme, dark icons on light theme).

The implementation uses Capacitor's StatusBar plugin + CSS env(safe-area-inset-*).

Notification channels

LifeWell uses Android notification channels to let you customise per-category notification behaviour:

Channel	Default importance
General reminders	Default
Health & medication	High
Mental health	Default
Calendar events	Default
Baby reminders	High
Marketing	Off
System	Low

Each channel has its own sound, vibration, and override settings — Android's "App info → Notifications" lets you tune them per channel.

Foreground service usage

A few features use a foreground service (a persistent notification + background process):

• Workout timer — keeps the timer running when the screen locks.
• Background location tracking (when opt-in) — captures location snapshots.

Android requires the persistent notification — it's an OS policy, not a LifeWell choice. The notification text describes what's running (e.g. "Workout in progress").

When the activity completes, the foreground service stops and the notification disappears.

Battery and background limits

Android aggressively kills background processes to save battery. LifeWell handles this:

• Reminders use AlarmManager (Android's official scheduled-alarm API), which survives most battery-optimisation modes.
• OneSignal push delivers notifications even when the app is killed.
• Local notification scheduling uses Capacitor's local-notifications plugin, also AlarmManager-backed.

For users on aggressive battery-saver OEMs (Xiaomi MIUI, Oppo, OnePlus, Huawei), LifeWell needs to be exempt from battery optimisation for reliable reminders. The app prompts for this on first reminder setup; the OEM-specific instructions are in the prompt.

App size

Installed size: ~80 MB initial; grows with cached data.

The bundle includes:

• React app code (~5 MB compressed).
• Capacitor native shell (~10 MB).
• Lucide icons + Radix UI assets.
• i18n bundles (10 locales).
• Splash screens for various densities.

Updates are typically 10–25 MB (incremental).

Building from source (developers only)

For developers wanting to build the Android app locally:

1. Clone the repo.
2. yarn install at the root.
3. yarn build — builds the React app.
4. yarn cap:sync — copies build into android/app/src/main/assets/public.
5. npx cap open android — opens Android Studio.
6. Sync Gradle, Run on device / emulator.

Signing for Play Store release uses a separate keystore (see /home/ahsan/Documents/01-code/keystores/ for Ahsan's reference). Public users don't need to build — install from the Play Store.

Play Store compliance

LifeWell follows the Play Console policy strictly:

• Every sensitive permission declared in the privacy policy + Data Safety form.
• No camera permission in the manifest unless the camera plugin is in use (LifeWell uses it for memory photos).
• No banned-package usage (@capacitor-firebase/crashlytics and /performance are not installed).
• Marketing copy in the Play Store listing avoids prohibited claims ("best", "top", "#1", user counts).

Past rejections (and the rules that fixed them) live in the global ~/.claude/play-console-rejection-rules.json file.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Notifications don't appear	Settings → LifeWell → Notifications → enable all channels
Reminders fire late or not at all	Battery optimisation likely killing the alarm — exempt LifeWell in OS battery settings
Sign-in fails	Ensure Google Play Services is up-to-date; clear app cache; re-sign-in
App crashes on launch	Reinstall; check that Android version is 7.0+
Camera doesn't open	Grant camera permission in OS Settings; restart app
Photos don't upload	Check Google Drive permission; check internet; check Drive storage quota

Privacy posture (Android-specific)

• Permissions follow least-privilege; nothing requested at launch.
• Data Safety form declares every data type collected and its purpose.
• No ads SDK, no analytics SDK that profiles for ads.
• Sentry crash reporter scrubs PII; only stack traces uploaded.

Where to read next

• iOS — iOS status.
• Push notifications — OneSignal integration details.
• Offline usage — local-first architecture.
• Overview — mobile architecture.

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Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood