System requirements

All of the development tools for Android and OpenCV are cross platform. The following operating systems are supported with almost identical setup procedures:

  • Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
  • Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or greater
  • Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick) or greater
  • Many other Unix-like systems (though not specifically covered in this book)

To run the OpenCV samples and, later, our own application, we should have an Android device with the following specifications:

  • Android 2.2 (Froyo) or greater (required)
  • Camera (required); front and rear cameras (recommended)
  • Autofocus (recommended)
  • Google Play Store (recommended)

Android Virtual Devices (AVDs) are not recommended. Some parts of OpenCV rely on low-level camera access and may fail with virtualized cameras.