Building Screenlite. Part 5 – The first step on Android
When I first started Screenlite, I knew Android would eventually become a key part of it. TVs, media boxes, tablets, commercial displays — most of them run some flavor of Android. If you want to reach real-world screens without special hardware, Android is unavoidable.
Still, I didn’t want to begin there. My early focus was on the CMS itself and the broader architecture. But now, after a few months of groundwork, it felt like the right time to take the first step into Android development.
That step is a small app called Screenlite Web Kiosk.
It’s not the full player yet. Think of it as a focused tool: a fullscreen browser with kiosk-like behavior. It launches automatically on boot, hides system UI, prevents the device from sleeping, and retries when the network fails. It also adapts to rotation and has a TV-friendly interface.
At first glance, it might look like just a side project — but it’s not. This app is both practical and strategic. Practical because even in its current form, it solves a real problem: displaying a webpage reliably on Android hardware, without subscriptions or ads. Strategic because it lets me test features and patterns that will later be reused in the full Screenlite player.
I see it as building the foundation in public. Instead of disappearing for months and resurfacing with a complex Android app, I wanted to release something early, let people try it, and collect feedback. Lightweight use cases — dashboards, menus, schedules, or even web apps running fullscreen — can already be handled by this kiosk browser. For some users, it might even be all they need.
For me, this release is also a reality check. Android development comes with its own set of quirks: lifecycle events, background restrictions, UI scaling across devices, and more. By tackling these challenges in a smaller app, I can refine solutions before they scale up into the larger project.
This is only the beginning, but beginnings matter. Screenlite Web Kiosk is not the final player, but it is the first Android milestone. And I plan to keep supporting it as a lightweight option even after the full player arrives.
If you’d like to try it, the APK is available under Releases on GitHub. Install it on a TV, tablet, or box, and you’ll have a simple fullscreen browser that just works.
As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. Every bug report, feature request, or small note helps shape the direction forward.
This project is a long road — but each step, even the small ones, adds up.