Let's go over the hardware you'll need to build a Flutter app.

This course is focused on smartphone apps. You can test and package Android apps from any desktop OS, but to package iPhone apps, you'll need Xcode, which only runs on MacOS. So, if you're developing mobile apps, my top recommendation is a Mac. It can do it all. The base model M1 Macbook Air is a rock-solid development machine, though if you can afford some extra RAM, you'll be glad to have it.

If you don't have a Mac, that's okay; you can still publish for Android using Windows or Linux. And even though you won't be able to test in an iPhone simulator, there are online services like 

 that can help you package your app for iOS. I want to stress that this will be a massive headache when you're trying to fix a bug that only happens on iPhones. But it's not impossible.

It's also important to test on a physical device, so make sure you have a cord to connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer.

Keep track of the install location for everything you're about to install.

You can develop Flutter apps with any text editor or IDE, but for the best tooling and support, you'll want to use either Android Studio or VS Code. I prefer VS Code since that's what I use most of the time anyway. If you don't already have one of these installed, no sweat; you'll be downloading Android Studio here in a moment.

Whatever IDE you use, make sure to get the Flutter and Dart plugins. They'll help you check syntax, refactor code, and run your app. If you look up "Flutter" and "Dart" in your extension browser, they'll be the first ones that come up.

. It's a big app, so it might take a while; go ahead and take a break while the installer is running. When it's done, start up Xcode to make sure it is installed correctly.

---
title: Hardware & software setup
description: Everything you need to start building Flutter apps
privateVideoUrl:
isPublicLesson: true
---

## Hardware

Let's go over the hardware you'll need to build a Flutter app.

This course is focused on smartphone apps. You can test and package Android apps from any desktop OS, but to package iPhone apps, you'll need Xcode, which only runs on MacOS. So, if you're developing mobile apps, my top recommendation is a Mac. It can do it all. The base model M1 Macbook Air is a rock-solid development machine, though if you can afford some extra RAM, you'll be glad to have it.

If you don't have a Mac, that's okay; you can still publish for Android using Windows or Linux. And even though you won't be able to test in an iPhone simulator, there are online services like [CodeMagic](https://codemagic.io/) that can help you package your app for iOS. I want to stress that this will be a massive headache when you're trying to fix a bug that only happens on iPhones. But it's not impossible.

It's also important to test on a physical device, so make sure you have a cord to connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer.

## Software

:::tip

Keep track of the install location for everything you're about to install.

:::

### IDE

You can develop Flutter apps with any text editor or IDE, but for the best tooling and support, you'll want to use either Android Studio or VS Code. I prefer VS Code since that's what I use most of the time anyway. If you don't already have one of these installed, no sweat; you'll be downloading Android Studio here in a moment.

Whatever IDE you use, make sure to get the Flutter and Dart plugins. They'll help you check syntax, refactor code, and run your app. If you look up "Flutter" and "Dart" in your extension browser, they'll be the first ones that come up.

![Screenshot of the Dart and Flutter extensions in VS Code's extension browser](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/line-of-business-apps-with-flutter-3/module_02/lesson_02.03/public/assets/dart-flutter-extensions.png)

### Xcode

If you're on a Mac, start by installing [Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/). It's a big app, so it might take a while; go ahead and take a break while the installer is running. When it's done, start up Xcode to make sure it is installed correctly.

### Android Studio and CLI tools

Isaac Lyman

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