Building

Building

How to build InstaDownload from source, install it on a device, and understand the repo layout. For how the code actually works, see the Developer Guide.

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Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Notes
JDK	17	Required for the build. Temurin/OpenJDK is fine.
Android SDK	API 35	compileSdk/targetSdk = 35, minSdk = 24.
Android Studio	Latest stable	Optional but recommended - bundles the SDK and Gradle.
Gradle	Wrapper included	Use ./gradlew; AGP is 8.9.2, Kotlin 2.0.21.

Get the Source

git clone https://github.com/Orang-Studio/InstaDownload.git
cd InstaDownload

The Gradle project is in a subfolder. The repo holds fastlane/, img/, and the app project under InstaDownload/. All Gradle commands run from that app folder:

cd InstaDownload   # now inside it (gradlew)

Or just open the repo in Android Studio - it will detect the project automatically.

Project Layout

InstaDownload/                             ← repo root
├── README.md                              ← README
├── LICENSE                                ← LICENSE
├── img/                                   ← screenshots how it looks
├── fastlane/                              ← store metadata (fdroid)
├── .github/workflows/build.yml            ← CI: build & release
└── InstaDownload/                         ← Gradle project root
    ├── gradlew / gradlew.bat              ← Windows
    ├── settings.gradle.kts                ← settings
    ├── gradle/libs.versions.toml          ← version catalog
    └── app/
        ├── build.gradle.kts               ← build settings
        └── src/main/
            ├── AndroidManifest.xml        ← Android Manifest
            ├── java/com/vakarux/instadownload/
            │   ├── MainActivity.kt        ← ui + download logics
            │   ├── InstagramDownloader.kt ← media extraction
            │   └── ui/theme/              ← theme
            └── res/                       ← icons, colors, strings

Build a Debug APK

Use debug for testing and also bug hunting From the Gradle project folder (InstaDownload/InstaDownload):

./gradlew assembleDebug

Output:

app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Build a Release APK

Make sure that you push the release build to production with good license, without bugs, with support for all usable android versions

./gradlew assembleRelease

Output:

app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

Minification is disabled (isMinifyEnabled = false), so no extra ProGuard configuration is needed. A local assembleRelease produces an unsigned APK

Install on a Device

Enable USB debugging on your phone (Settings > Developer options), connect it, accept the authorization dialog, then:

adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

If adb isn't on your PATH, it lives in <Android SDK>/platform-tools/.

No cable? Transfer the APK to your phone (e.g. via move.oranges.lt, cloud storage, or email) and open it there - allow "install from unknown sources" if prompted.

Continuous Integration

.github/workflows/build.yml builds the app on every push to main/master and on version tags:

• Runs on ubuntu with JDK 17.
• Generates a signing keystore, then runs assembleRelease with the signing config injected via -Pandroid.injected.signing.* properties.
• Uploads app-release.apk as a build artifact (kept 30 days).
• On a tag matching v* it creates a GitHub Release with the signed APK attached and auto-generated notes.

Google Play Problems

Initially, we wanted to release our app to a bigger pool of audience, but Google requires verification such as a face scan or passport + $25 publishing fee. So, we decided to not do it and chose a more developer/user friendly alternative called fdroid. Also I hate google's device attestation.

Contributing

1. Fork the repo and create a branch for your change.
2. Keep changes focused - this is a small, single-purpose app.
3. There are no automated tests (unit tests are disabled in build.gradle.kts); verify manually by building a debug APK and downloading a video.
4. Open a Pull Request describing what changed and how you tested it.

Found a bug or extraction is broken? Open a GitHub Issue - if it's a "methods are patched" error, paste the copied error text from the app. Thanks for your support!!