Multidex issue with Flutter

Question

I'm getting the following error compiling with gradle using Flutter in Android Studio:

Dex: Error converting bytecode to dex:
Cause: com.android.dex.DexException: Multiple dex files define Lcom/google/android/gms/internal/zzcew;
UNEXPECTED TOP-LEVEL EXCEPTION:
com.android.dex.DexException: Multiple dex files define Lcom/google/android/gms/internal/zzcew;

[... stacktrace omitted for brevity ...]

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':app:transformDexArchiveWithDexMergerForDebug'.
> com.android.build.api.transform.TransformException: com.android.dex.DexException: Multiple dex files define Lcom/google/android/gms/internal/zzcew;

The short version

This only occurs if I add enough dependencies, as might be expected. I've enabled multidex and added the multidex dependency in the Android project build.gradle file as per instructions (https://developer.android.com/studio/build/multidex.html), but wasn't sure what to do about step 2 in "Configure your app for multidex" for a Flutter App, or even whether the omission of that step was the problem.

Steps to recreate:

Select File/New/New Flutter Project from the toolbar
Select "Flutter Application"
Include Kotlin & Swift support
Check the app compiles and runs

Add the following to dependencies in pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  flutter_google_place_picker: "^0.0.1"
  location: "^1.2.0"

Hit Packages Get in Android Studio or run flutter packages get in the project directory

Modify android/app/build.gradle to add the following sections in the appropriate places:

dependencies {
  compile 'com.android.support:multidex:1.0.1'
}
android {
    defaultConfig {
        multiDexEnabled true
    }
}

Select Run/Run from the toolbar

Other things I've tried

Replacing the "compile" dependency in build.gradle with each of the following:

compile 'com.android.support:multidex:1.0.3'
implementation 'com.android.support:multidex:1.0.1'
implementation 'com.android.support:multidex:1.0.3'

Following the multidex steps for each of my dependencies; i.e. modifying their build.gradle files, enabling multidex and adding the multidex dependency.
Modifying minSdkVersion to each of 21 and 27 in each of the build.gradle files for my project and its dependencies, and enabling multidex for them.
Enabling minifying for my project.
Replacing location: "^1.2.0" with geolocation: "^0.2.1"

Not enabling multidex at all (i.e. skipping step 7 of recreating). This results in the following error:

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':app:transformDexArchiveWithExternalLibsDexMergerForDebug'.
> java.lang.RuntimeException: java.lang.RuntimeException: com.android.builder.dexing.DexArchiveMergerException: Unable to merge dex

Flutter doctor output

$ flutter doctor -v
[√] Flutter (Channel beta, v0.2.8, on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.16299.371], locale en-GB)
    • Flutter version 0.2.8 at D:\flutter
    • Framework revision b397406561 (2 weeks ago), 2018-04-02 13:53:20 -0700
    • Engine revision c903c217a1
    • Dart version 2.0.0-dev.43.0.flutter-52afcba357

[√] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK 27.0.3)
    • Android SDK at C:\Users\Dave\AppData\Local\Android\sdk
    • Android NDK location not configured (optional; useful for native profiling support)
    • Platform android-27, build-tools 27.0.3
    • Java binary at: D:\AndroidDev\jre\bin\java
    • Java version OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_152-release-1024-b02)
    • All Android licenses accepted.

[√] Android Studio (version 3.1)
    • Android Studio at D:\AndroidDev
    • Java version OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_152-release-1024-b02)

[√] Connected devices (1 available)
    • Android SDK built for x86 64 • emulator-5554 • android-x64 • Android 5.1.1 (API 22) (emulator)

• No issues found!

score 261 · Answer 1 · edited May 05 '23 at 07:57

261

If you don't have experience with developing android application this information can be helpful otherwise you won't find anything new.

In most cases, enough will do the first step

How to enable multidex for flutter project.

Enable multidex.

Open [project_folder]/app/build.gradle and add following lines.

defaultConfig {
    ...

    multiDexEnabled true
}

and

dependencies {
    ...

    implementation 'androidx.multidex:multidex:2.0.1'
}

Enable Jetifier.

Open [project_folder]/android/gradle.properties and add following lines.

android.useAndroidX=true
android.enableJetifier=true

edited May 05 '23 at 07:57

kalucki23

172
4
15

answered Feb 13 '19 at 22:30

Yuri Misyac

4,364
2
16
32

1

Instead of extends SomeOtherApplication I added extends FlutterApplication – temirbek Apr 05 '19 at 06:10
I am implementing this in Java but I am also using the FacebookLogin plugin, and when I implement your answer it says "The SDK has not been initialized, make sure to call FacebookSdk.sdkInitialize() first." – hysabone.com Apr 19 '19 at 10:27
@BarbaricGamester did you add `FacebookSdk.sdkInitialize()` in `onCreate()` method of `CustomApplicationClass` ? – Yuri Misyac Apr 19 '19 at 14:34
@YuriMisyac i have an error ` error: '{' expected [ ] public class App extends FlutterApplication() { [ ] ^ [ ] 1 error ` – Ujang Karnadi May 15 '19 at 07:57
@UjangKarnadi show me please full app class with imports. – Yuri Misyac May 15 '19 at 08:00
1

@YuriMisyac I am using java changing `FlutterApplication() {` to `FlutterApplication {` fix my issue, please update your code. and it work thanks, – Ujang Karnadi May 15 '19 at 08:42
Hey @YuriMisyac I've followed your steps, I no longer get the error OP had. However, when I reach the message `Installing build\app\outputs\apk\app.apk...`, I see that the app launches in my phone and crashes instantly with no output in the console, this one also stays stuck at the `Installing build\app\outputs\apk\app.apk...` message – Amine Jul 31 '19 at 15:35
4

Thank you for your great answer! But with Flutter 1.7, I *only* needed steps 1 & 2 for the multi-dex to work. The app would actually crash if I applied steps 3 & 4! – Karsten Silz Aug 22 '19 at 07:37
In 1.17.0 I didn't have to do step two for Q. Both options were already enabled in `gradle.properties` – tyirvine May 20 '20 at 14:28
Thank you, the first step fixed my error! – federico__ Sep 07 '22 at 12:31

Nerdy Bunz · Answer 2 · 2023-02-12T11:04:09.007

204

Update for beginner devs in 2023 and beyond:

If you’e OK with your project having a minimum Android API level of 21 (it will run on 99.3% of Android devices), all you have to do is this:

Using a text editor, open your "app level build.gradle file" which exists at [your project]\android\app\build.gradle.

There is a line that begins with "minSdkVersion."

Change it from:

defaultConfig {
        // ...
        minSdkVersion [whatever it says here, even if it is not a number]
        // ...
        }

to:

defaultConfig {
            // ...
            minSdkVersion 21
            // ...
            }

Obviously the 21 can be higher if you want, but not lower.

YOU ARE DONE.

You don't have to make ANY other modifications in order for multidex to work correctly.

Apparently, the default minSDK setting for new Flutter projects is STILL 16, so after adding enough dependencies in pubspec.yaml, many new developers will run into the multidex error and go searching online, potentially getting bogged down in old, confusing information which only applies to projects with a minimum level set to less than 21.

That was the simplest solution, but there are other ways:

Jahidul Islam's answer here, and Francis Nduba Numbi's answer here.

They have their own pros and cons so be sure to read the comments under their answers.

edited Feb 12 '23 at 11:04

answered Feb 10 '20 at 21:01

Nerdy Bunz

6,040
10
41
100

10

This works because: "If your app only targets Android 21 or higher (minSdkVersion) then multidex is already enabled by default and you do not need the multidex support library." – bvamos Dec 02 '20 at 10:45
5

Huge time saver! This is the best solution – Owen Jan 09 '22 at 07:27
1

Indeed you saved my time! Thanks for sharing this solution. – Zujaj Misbah Khan Feb 20 '22 at 12:41
1

In my solution I'm change 19 to 21 and working fine! – user_odoo Feb 23 '22 at 10:40
1

Thank you very much, indeed no need to work with 19 version, since it is small percent, better from 21, so I do not have to deal with this maxwell thing – Tarik Hacialiogullari Mar 23 '22 at 09:37
It does not really answer the question, but for those of you guys don't care about sdk version below 21, do that. – Stéphane de Luca Aug 29 '22 at 08:27
1

New to flutter.. still bloody confused.. I'm not using multidex .. whatever that is.. just another pub .. and after going to min sdk 21 i get all these duplicate class issues.. after cleaning, wiping out android folder. no clue whats going on – Piotr Kula Jun 06 '23 at 22:08
it worked for me – Opeyemi Noah Jul 19 '23 at 19:27

score 17 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 18 '18 at 13:56

Your two packages seem to disagree on their transitive dependencies. One wants 11.6.+, the other wants 11.+ of some play-services dependencies. Since both 11.6.2 and 11.8.0 are out there, this is going to end up with a conflict.

If you run ./gradlew androidDependencies in your android/ folder, you get a listing of the result of dependency resolution, containing, among others, the following:

+--- :flutter_google_place_picker (variant: release)
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:11.8.0@aar
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-places:11.6.2@aar
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-maps:11.6.2@aar
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-base:11.8.0@aar
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-tasks:11.8.0@aar
+--- com.google.android.gms:play-services-basement:11.8.0@aar

These 11.6.2 and 11.8.0 packages are not going to work together. To resolve this, you need to patch your dependencies to be consistent with each other, or add a dependency override to the top level of your android/app/build.gradle file and hope for the best:

configurations.all {
    resolutionStrategy {
        force 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-places:11.8.0'
        force 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:11.8.0'
    }
}

Hi Mikkel. Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer. I've modified your answer slightly to better reflect what worked for me, if it's incorrect, please let me know. Is it fair to say that if I force resolution to a play services version that could meet requirements of all plugins, there *should* be no problem? — SpoonerNZ, Apr 18 '18 at 13:57
Cool. Thanks for explaining and giving me the tools (./gradlew androidDependencies) to better investigate related issues in future. — SpoonerNZ, Apr 18 '18 at 14:02

score 6 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 05 '22 at 03:25

Starting from Flutter 2.10

The multidex support is enabled automatically. If your app supports Android SDK versions below 21, and it exceeds the 64K method limit, simply pass the --multidex flag to flutter build appbundle or flutter build apk and your app will support multidex.

score 5 · Answer 5 · edited Jul 06 '20 at 11:45

5

in your app folder inside android

defaultConfig {
    ...

    multiDexEnabled true
}

Also check out: Enable multidex for apps with over 64K methods

edited Jul 06 '20 at 11:45

blackgreen

34,072
23
111
129

answered Jul 06 '20 at 11:02

S.R Keshav

1,965
1
11
14

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 29 '22 at 10:35

If your minSdkVersion is set to 21 or higher, multidex is enabled by default and you do not need the multidex library.

However, if your minSdkVersion is set to 20 or lower, then you must use the multidex library and make the following modifications to your app project:

Modify the module-level build.gradle file to enable multidex and add the multidex library as a dependency, as shown here:

android {
    defaultConfig {
        ...
        minSdk = 15 
        targetSdk = 28
        multiDexEnabled = true
    }
    ...
}

dependencies {
    implementation("androidx.multidex:multidex:2.0.1")
}

Depending on whether you override the Application class, perform one of the following: If you do not override the Application class, edit your manifest file to set android:name in the tag as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.myapp">
    <application
            android:name="androidx.multidex.MultiDexApplication" >
        ...
    </application>
</manifest>

If you do override the Application class, change it to extend MultiDexApplication (if possible) as follows:

public class MyApplication extends MultiDexApplication { ... }

Or if you do override the Application class but it's not possible to change the base class, then you can instead override the attachBaseContext() method and callMultiDex.install(this) to enable multidex:

public class MyApplication extends SomeOtherApplication {
  @Override
  protected void attachBaseContext(Context base) {
     super.attachBaseContext(base);
     MultiDex.install(this);
  }
}

for more info check out this blog

score 1 · Answer 7 · edited Sep 05 '20 at 07:31

1

Just change the line in app\build.gradle

defaultConfig{
multiDexEnabled true
}

Do not add any dependencies I first added multidex dependencies but program said cannot find it I then added maven to build.gradle but made no change

Actually you need to change false to true nothing else Android studio will do rest

edited Sep 05 '20 at 07:31

Arghya Sadhu

41,002
9
78
107

answered Sep 05 '20 at 04:58

Tom k Mangattu

39
2

score 1 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 11 '21 at 13:13

In <projectName>\android\app\build.gradle Make sure to set minSdkVersion to 21

 defaultConfig {
        ...
        minSdkVersion 21 // or 20 may be fine
        ...
    }

There is no need to set multiDexEnabled to true as if the app only targets Android 21 or higher (minSdkVersion) then multidex is already enabled by default.

genericUser · Answer 9 · 2022-10-23T11:42:32.247

1

Update build.gradle to minSdkVersion 21

Android 5.0 and higher uses a runtime called ART which natively supports loading multiple DEX files from APK files.

Support older versions of Android

In case you want to support Multidex prior to Android 5.0 (API level 21), check out the above documentation.

edited Oct 23 '22 at 11:42

answered Sep 29 '22 at 09:11

genericUser

4,417
1
28
73

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Mar 30 '23 at 21:19

1

I solved this only by running flutter run --multidex then reply with y to auto enable it. If it isn't working try removing anything you added intended to solve the issue and try again.

answered Mar 30 '23 at 21:19

Stephen Essoun

23
8

score 0 · Answer 11 · edited Aug 03 '20 at 20:07

0

In your app level build.gradle file

Increase your minSdkVersion from 16 to 20.

Enable multiDex.

defaultConfig {
     ...

     minSdkVersion 20   //Copy this
     multiDexEnabled true //Copy this  
 }

edited Aug 03 '20 at 20:07

David Buck

3,752
35
31
35

answered Aug 03 '20 at 19:49

Akhil Shukla

491
5
10

score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 13 '22 at 08:35

0

in build.gradle

defaultConfig 
{
minSdkVersion 21
multiDexEnabled true
}


dependencies {
implementation("androidx.multidex:multidex:2.0.1")
}

In AndroidManifest.xml

<application
android:name="androidx.multidex.MultiDexApplication">

answered Jan 13 '22 at 08:35

Anwar Kabir

29
4

score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Mar 23 '23 at 10:42

I just wanted to debug my app and the simplest solution that worked for me was this:

1- In android studio terminal type:

 flutter run --multidex

Then you will see some Errors and at the end of errors, there is a suggestion like this:

BUILD FAILED in 40s
Running Gradle task 'assembleDebug'...                             41.8s
[!] App requires Multidex support
    Multidex support is required for your android app to build since the number of methods has exceeded 64k. You may pass the --no-multidex flag
    to skip Flutter's multidex support to use a manual solution.

    Flutter tool can add multidex support. The following file will be added by flutter:

        android/app/src/main/java/io/flutter/app/FlutterMultiDexApplication.java

Do you want to continue with adding multidex support for Android? [y|n]:

2 - here type y and press enter to allow adding multidex support

with this way I could debug my app on api 19. so it's not needed to increase minSdkVersion to 21.

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Jun 23 '23 at 02:59

0

In your app level build.gradle file

change your minSdkVersion flutter.minSdk to 19, then enable multiDex


defaultConfig {
     ...

     minSdkVersion 19   //Copy this

     multiDexEnabled true //Copy this  
 }

answered Jun 23 '23 at 02:59

Scientist

1
1

score -1 · Answer 15 · answered Mar 11 '22 at 14:51

-1

I solved this error by changing the min SDK version. And how you can change this on Flutter 2.8 and plus version. Follow this link

How to change Flutter version on Flutter 2.8 and plus versions

answered Mar 11 '22 at 14:51

Aizan Sagheer

349
3
8

Adi · Answer 16 · 2023-06-26T17:36:42.860

-1

If you have conflict with newer package of stripe, then you have to "comment out" in pubspec.yaml this line: stripe_payment: ^1.1.4

edited Jun 26 '23 at 17:36

answered Jun 26 '23 at 17:35

Adi

1
1

score -2 · Answer 17 · answered Nov 25 '20 at 09:46

-2

If you are installing via USB be sure to click on install button when the device asks for permission, It was the solution in my case.

answered Nov 25 '20 at 09:46

Vimal Swaroop J

135
1
10