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Capacitor — the native app shell (Android first)

This wraps the live web app in a native shell so it can ship to the stores. Android is set up now; iOS is added later from the same project (npx cap add ios, needs a Mac) — that's why we chose Capacitor over a TWA.

How it works: REMOTE-URL mode (important)

This app is server-rendered (Next.js middleware proxy.ts, server actions, the four auth layers, RLS). It cannot be exported to static files inside the APK without stripping the server — so the native shell is a thin WebView that loads the live deployment:

capacitor.config.ts → server.url = https://kita-connect.cloud

Consequences:

  • App/content changes ship via the normal Vercel deploy — no new store build needed. You only rebuild + resubmit the app for native-shell changes (plugins, icons, permissions, the appId).
  • The app needs connectivity to load. public/cap-shell/index.html is a tiny fallback shown only when the live URL can't be reached at launch.
  • For Google Play this is fine. (For the eventual iOS app, native camera/push is what lifts it above Apple's 4.2 "just a website" bar — see the iOS phase.)

Permanent identifiers (do not change after publishing)

  • applicationId / namespace: app.aushang (in android/app/build.gradle). This is permanent once published to Play.
  • appName: Aushang (capacitor.config.ts + android/.../strings.xml).

Plugins installed (registered, wired incrementally)

@capacitor/app (deep links), @capacitor/camera (native capture — the capture-flow upgrade), @capacitor/push-notifications (native push later). They're installed and registered but not yet invoked, so their permissions (CAMERA, POST_NOTIFICATIONS) are intentionally not in the manifest yet — Play flags unused sensitive permissions. Declare them when the plugin is actually used.

Build workflow

npm run cap:sync     # cap sync android — copy config + plugins into android/
npm run cap:open     # open the project in Android Studio

To produce a release AAB (what Play requires):

  1. Open in Android Studio (npm run cap:open).
  2. Build → Generate Signed Bundle / APK → Android App Bundle.
  3. Create/keep an upload keystore (back it up — losing it is painful) and enroll in Play App Signing (Google holds the app key; you keep the upload key).
  4. The resulting .aab uploads to the Play Console (closed-testing track first — see docs/PLAY_LAUNCH.md §0 for the 14-day / 12-tester requirement).

Building the AAB needs the Android SDK + Android Studio (works on Windows). No Mac is needed for Android — only for the later iOS phase.

What's NOT done yet (incremental follow-ups)

  • Native camera wiring (swap the web <input capture> for @capacitor/camera in the capture flow). The single biggest UX upgrade and the iOS-review unlocker.
  • Native push (APNs/FCM) — the current push is Web Push/VAPID (src/lib/push.ts); native needs FCM token plumbing + a device_tokens path.
  • Deep links / App Links — host /.well-known/assetlinks.json so links open the app, not the system browser (fixes the magic-link issue in GO_LIVE_CHECKLIST.md). Needs the signing-cert SHA-256 (available after the keystore exists).
  • App icons / splash from public/icons/master.svg.

These are deliberately staged: the remote-URL shell is a working, submittable Android app on its own; each native capability is added and tested in isolation.