Tauri Impl Mobile

tauri-impl-mobile

Quick Reference

CLI Commands

Platform cfg Attributes

Required Cargo.toml Configuration

[lib]
name = "app_lib"
crate-type = ["staticlib", "cdylib", "rlib"]

Entry Point Structure

Critical Warnings

NEVER skip the lib.rs + main.rs split when targeting mobile -- mobile platforms require a library crate, not a binary.

NEVER omit "staticlib" from crate-type -- iOS requires static linking.

NEVER omit "cdylib" from crate-type -- Android requires dynamic linking.

NEVER forget the #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)] attribute on the run() function -- without it, the mobile app has no entry point and will not start.

ALWAYS keep "rlib" in crate-type -- the desktop main.rs depends on it to import app_lib::run().

ALWAYS test platform-specific code paths on actual target platforms -- #[cfg] attributes silently exclude code at compile time.

Prerequisites

Android

1. Android Studio with:

   • SDK Platform (API level 24+)
   • Platform-Tools
   • NDK (Side by side)
   • Build-Tools
   • Command-line Tools

2. Environment variables:

   export JAVA_HOME="/path/to/jdk"
   export ANDROID_HOME="/path/to/Android/Sdk"
   export NDK_HOME="$ANDROID_HOME/ndk/<version>"
   

3. Rust targets:

   rustup target add aarch64-linux-android
   rustup target add armv7-linux-androideabi
   rustup target add i686-linux-android
   rustup target add x86_64-linux-android
   

iOS (macOS only)

1. Xcode (full installation, not just Command Line Tools)

2. Cocoapods:

   brew install cocoapods
   

3. Rust targets:

   rustup target add aarch64-apple-ios
   rustup target add x86_64-apple-ios
   rustup target add aarch64-apple-ios-sim
   

Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: Project Restructuring for Mobile

Transform a desktop-only project to support mobile:

Before (desktop only):

src-tauri/src/
  main.rs    # Contains all app logic

After (desktop + mobile):

src-tauri/src/
  lib.rs     # All app logic moves here
  main.rs    # Minimal desktop entry point

// src-tauri/src/lib.rs
#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![/* commands */])
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

// src-tauri/src/main.rs
// Prevents an additional console window on Windows in release
#![cfg_attr(not(debug_assertions), windows_subsystem = "windows")]

fn main() {
    app_lib::run();
}

# src-tauri/Cargo.toml
[lib]
name = "app_lib"
crate-type = ["staticlib", "cdylib", "rlib"]

Pattern 2: Platform-Specific Code

// Conditional compilation for platform-specific behavior
#[cfg(desktop)]
fn setup_desktop(app: &tauri::App) {
    // Desktop-only: system tray, global shortcuts, etc.
}

#[cfg(mobile)]
fn setup_mobile(app: &tauri::App) {
    // Mobile-only: biometrics, push notifications, etc.
}

#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
    let builder = tauri::Builder::default();

    #[cfg(desktop)]
    let builder = builder.setup(|app| {
        setup_desktop(app);
        Ok(())
    });

    #[cfg(mobile)]
    let builder = builder.setup(|app| {
        setup_mobile(app);
        Ok(())
    });

    builder
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

Pattern 3: Platform-Specific Commands

#[cfg(desktop)]
#[tauri::command]
fn open_dev_tools(window: tauri::WebviewWindow) {
    window.open_devtools();
}

#[cfg(mobile)]
#[tauri::command]
fn request_biometric() -> Result<bool, String> {
    // Mobile biometric authentication
    Ok(true)
}

#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![
            // Shared commands
            shared_command,
            // Platform-specific commands
            #[cfg(desktop)]
            open_dev_tools,
            #[cfg(mobile)]
            request_biometric,
        ])
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

Pattern 4: Mobile Bundle Configuration

// tauri.conf.json
{
  "bundle": {
    "iOS": {
      "minimumSystemVersion": "14.0"
    },
    "android": {
      "minSdkVersion": 24,
      "versionCode": 1
    }
  }
}

Pattern 5: Initializing and Running Mobile Targets

# One-time initialization (generates platform project files)
tauri android init
tauri ios init

# Development (hot-reload)
tauri android dev
tauri ios dev

# Development on a specific device
tauri android dev --device <device-id>
tauri ios dev --device <device-id>

# Production builds
tauri android build
tauri ios build

# Production build for specific target
tauri android build --target aarch64
tauri ios build --target aarch64-apple-ios

Pattern 6: Mobile Plugin Hooks

Plugins can have mobile-specific initialization:

use tauri::plugin::{Builder, TauriPlugin};
use tauri::Runtime;

pub fn init<R: Runtime>() -> TauriPlugin<R> {
    Builder::new("my-mobile-plugin")
        .setup(|app, api| {
            #[cfg(target_os = "android")]
            {
                // Android-specific plugin setup
                // Access Android-specific APIs via PluginApi
            }
            #[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
            {
                // iOS-specific plugin setup
            }
            Ok(())
        })
        .build()
}

Crate-Type Explanation

The crate-type array in Cargo.toml controls how the Rust code is compiled:

All three MUST be present for full cross-platform support.

Project Structure After Mobile Init

my-tauri-app/
  src/                          # Frontend (shared across all platforms)
  src-tauri/
    src/
      lib.rs                    # Shared entry point
      main.rs                   # Desktop entry point
    gen/
      android/                  # Generated by `tauri android init`
        app/
          src/main/
            java/.../           # Android activity
        build.gradle.kts
      apple/                    # Generated by `tauri ios init`
        <app>.xcodeproj/
        Sources/
    Cargo.toml
    tauri.conf.json

Reference Links

• references/methods.md -- Complete reference for mobile CLI commands, cfg attributes, Cargo.toml configuration
• references/examples.md -- Working code examples for mobile development patterns
• references/anti-patterns.md -- Common mobile development mistakes with explanations

Official Sources

• https://v2.tauri.app/start/prerequisites/#android
• https://v2.tauri.app/start/prerequisites/#ios
• https://v2.tauri.app/develop/mobile/