# Sync Android Quickstart

In this guide, we will get you up and running quickly with a sample application you can build on as you learn more about Sync.

Table Of Contents:

* [Gather account information](#gather-account-information)
* [Set up the Server App](#set-up-the-server-app)
* [Configure and run the Mobile App](#download-the-mobile-app)

## Gather account information

The first thing we need to do is grab all the necessary information from our
Twilio account. To set up our back-end for Sync, we will need four
values from our account:

| Config Values        | Description                                                                                                                                                                            |
| :------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Service Instance SID | A [service](/docs/sync/api/service) instance where all the data for our application is stored and scoped. Generate one using the [console Sync Services tool](/console/sync/services). |
| Account SID          | Your primary Twilio account identifier - find this [on the main page of the Twilio console](/console).                                                                                 |
| API Key              | Used to sign tokens. Generate one using the [console API Keys tool](/console/sync/tools).                                                                                              |
| API Secret           | Used to sign tokens, together with the corresponding API Key.                                                                                                                          |

## Set up the Server App

A Sync application has two pieces - a client (our Android app) and a server.
You can learn more about what the server app does [by going through this guide](/docs/sync/identity-and-access-tokens).
For now, let's just get a server running so we can use it to power our
Android application.

Choose a download package for your server-side language of choice. If you're
primarily a front-end developer and don't have a strong preference,
Python, Node.js, or Ruby will probably get you up and running the fastest.

* [Download for C#](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-csharp/archive/master.zip)
* [Download for Java](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-java/archive/master.zip)
* [Download for Node.js](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-node/archive/master.zip)
* [Download for PHP](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-php/archive/master.zip)
* [Download for Python](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-python/archive/master.zip)
* [Download for Ruby](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-ruby/archive/master.zip)

Follow the instructions in the README for each starter application to configure
and run it on your machine, using the four values we created above:

* [Instructions for C#](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-csharp)
* [Instructions for Java](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-java)
* [Instructions for Node.js](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-node)
* [Instructions for PHP](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-php)
* [Instructions for Python](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-python)
* [Instructions for Ruby](https://github.com/TwilioDevEd/sdk-starter-ruby)

Now that our server is set up, let's get the starter Android app up and running.

## Download the Mobile App

To get going quickly, there is a starter Android app. Download it now:

* [Download Android source code](https://github.com/twilio/sync-quickstart-android/archive/master.zip)
  or
* [Clone from GitHub](https://github.com/twilio/sync-quickstart-android/)

### Configure and Run the Mobile App

You can run the mobile app in the android emulator or on your own phone or tablet. Make sure the server is externally accessible, using ngrok or running it on a server with public IP.

Once the app loads in the simulator, you should see a UI like this one:

![Tic-Tac-Twilio game board with X and O symbols on a mobile screen.](https://docs-resources.prod.twilio.com/40d480bf1f2c4d8e90e3b71c18d7b7fe40de41dcd05706bdf8fda3ae60038714.png)

You can play tic-tac-toe with yourself or fire up a second emulator and have a crosses-vs-naughts battle! Add a third emulator to be a passive observer of changes on the board.

You're all set! From here, you can start building your own application. For guidance
on integrating the Android SDK into your existing project, [head over to our install guide](/docs/sync/sync-sdk-download).
If you'd like to learn more about how Sync works, you might want to dive
into our [user identity guide](/docs/sync/identity-and-access-tokens),
which talks about the relationship between the mobile app and the server.

Good luck and have fun!