How to Build a Python Mobile App with Kivy and Buildozer: Step‑by‑Step Guide

I wanted to develop a simple app for fun, but lacked Java experience, so I explored using Python. After discovering the Kivy framework and Buildozer packaging tool, I documented the whole process, including pitfalls and solutions.

Preface

Python is versatile, yet using it for app development is more of a learning exercise; the ecosystem is still immature and prone to bugs, so beginners should proceed cautiously.

Preparation

Kivy is an open‑source, cross‑platform Python framework that supports Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. Buildozer is the official tool for packaging Kivy apps for Android and iOS.

Set up Kivy development environment

Installation steps are demonstrated for macOS and CentOS.

install kivy for mac

brew install pkg-config sdl2 sdl2_image sdl2_ttf sdl2_mixer gstreamer

pip install cython==0.25

pip install kivy

If installation fails, clone and install manually:

git clone https://github.com/kivy/kivy

python setup.py install

install kivy for centos7

yum install \
make \
mercurial \
automake \
gcc \
gcc-c++ \
SDL_ttf-devel \
SDL_mixer-devel \
khrplatform-devel \
mesa-libGLES \
mesa-libGLES-devel \
gstreamer-plugins-good \
gstreamer \
gstreamer-python \
mtdev-devel \
python-devel \
python-pip \
java-devel

pip install Cython==0.20

pip install kivy

For more installation options see the Kivy documentation.

Develop the first Python app with Kivy

Create main.py:

#! -*- coding:utf-8 -*-
from kivy.app import App
class HelloApp(App):
    pass
if __name__ == '__main__':
    HelloApp().run()

Create hello.kv:

Label:
    text: 'Hello, World! I am nMask'

main.py

serves as the entry point, while hello.kv defines the UI.

Run the app

python main.py

Successful import of kivy confirms the installation.

Install Buildozer

Buildozer packages Kivy apps for Android and iOS.

pip install buildozer

Package the Kivy app into an APK

Initialize the Buildozer configuration: buildozer init Edit buildozer.spec as needed, then build and deploy: buildozer android debug deploy run The command downloads the Android SDK and other dependencies on first run.

After a successful build, an .apk file appears in the bin directory.

Transfer the APK to an Android device, install, and run:

Buildozer usage

Usage:
    buildozer [--profile <name>] [--verbose] [target] <command>...
    buildozer --version
Available targets:
    android        Android target, based on python-for-android project
    ios            iOS target, based on kivy-ios project
    android_old    Android target, based on python-for-android project (old toolchain)
Global commands (without target):
    distclean          Clean the whole Buildozer environment.
    help               Show the Buildozer help.
    init               Create an initial buildozer.spec in the current directory
    serve              Serve the bin directory via SimpleHTTPServer
    setdefault         Set the default command to run when no arguments are given
    version            Show the Buildozer version
Target commands:
    clean      Clean the target environment
    update     Update the target dependencies
    debug      Build the application in debug mode
    release    Build the application in release mode
    deploy     Deploy the application on the device
    run        Run the application on the device
    serve      Serve the bin directory via SimpleHTTPServer

Common Buildozer pitfalls

Missing 32‑bit libraries

On CentOS 7 you may see "You might have missed to install 32bits libs". Install the required 32‑bit packages:

yum -y install --skip-broken glibc.i686 arts.i686 audiofile.i686 bzip2-libs.i686 cairo.i686 cyrus-sasl-lib.i686 dbus-libs.i686 directfb.i686 esound-libs.i686 fltk.i686 freeglut.i686 gtk2.i686 hal-libs.i686 imlib.i686 lcms-libs.i686 lesstif.i686 libacl.i686 libao.i686 libattr.i686 libcap.i686 libdrm.i686 libexif.i686 libgnomecanvas.i686 libICE.i686 libieee1284.i686 libsigc++20.i686 libSM.i686 libtool-ltdl.i686 libusb.i686 libwmf.i686 libwmf-lite.i686 libX11.i686 libXau.i686 libXaw.i686 libXcomposite.i686 libXdamage.i686 libXdmcp.i686 libXext.i686 libXfixes.i686 libxkbfile.i686 libxml2.i686 libXmu.i686 libXp.i686 libXpm.i686 libXScrnSaver.i686 libxslt.i686 libXt.i686 libXtst.i686 libXv.i686 libXxf86vm.i686 lzo.i686 mesa-libGL.i686 mesa-libGLU.i686 nas-libs.i686 nss_ldap.i686 cdk.i686 openldap.i686 pam.i686 popt.i686 pulseaudio-libs.i686 sane-backends-libs-gphoto2.i686 sane-backends-libs.i686 SDL.i686 svgalib.i686 unixODBC.i686 zlib.i686 compat-expat1.i686 compat-libstdc++-33.i686 openal-soft.i686 alsa-oss-libs.i686 redhat-lsb.i686 alsa-plugins-pulseaudio.i686 alsa-plugins-oss.i686 alsa-lib.i686 nspluginwrapper.i686 libXv.i686 libXScrnSaver.i686 qt.i686 qt-x11.i686 pulseaudio-libs.i686 pulseaudio-libs-glib2.i686 alsa-plugins-pulseaudio.i686 python-matplotli

Cython compilation error

Fix by installing a compatible Cython version:

pip install cython==0.25

IOError: No such file or directory

This Buildozer bug occurs when copying the APK. Patch

/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/buildozer/targets/android.py

:

1. Add import at the top: from distutils.version import LooseVersion 2. Replace the code around line 786 with:

__sdk_dir = self.android_sdk_dir
build_tools_versions = os.listdir(join(__sdk_dir, 'build-tools'))
build_tools_versions = sorted(build_tools_versions, key=LooseVersion)
build_tools_version = build_tools_versions[-1]
gradle_files = ["build.gradle", "gradle", "gradlew"]
is_gradle_build = any((exists(join(dist_dir, x)) for x in gradle_files)) and build_tools_version >= '25.0'

Buildozer virtual machine

Kivy provides a pre‑configured Buildozer VM image with all dependencies installed, useful for those who cannot resolve library issues on their own machines.

Download link: http://txzone.net/files/torrents/kivy-buildozer-vm-2.0.zip

Kivy development example

The article focuses on a minimal Kivy + Buildozer workflow to create a simple Python app, leaving more advanced Kivy features for future posts.

Source: CSDN, author nmask