Build & Deploy

Build your Unity project and deploy to Board hardware.

Building Your Project

Build an APK

  1. Open File > Build Settings (Unity 6+: File > Build Profiles)
  2. Ensure your scenes are added to the build list
  3. Click Build and choose a location for your APK

Tip: For development builds, enable Development Build in Build Settings to access debugging features including the debug overlay.

Board Developer Bridge (BDB)

Use bdb to deploy and manage your builds on Board hardware.

Getting BDB: Board Developer Bridge is distributed separately from the Unity SDK. Request access if you don’t have it yet.

Connect Board

Connect Board to your computer via USB-C. The developer service runs automatically on Board, so bdb will auto-detect the connection.

Check Connection

Verify bdb can communicate with Board:

bdb status

This displays the connection status and device information.

Check Board OS Version

bdb version

Displays Board OS version. BDB requires Board OS 1.3.8 or later.

Installing Your App

Deploy your built APK to Board:

bdb install path/to/your-game.apk

bdb uploads the APK and installs it on Board. You’ll see upload progress and a success message when complete.

Example

$ bdb install ./Builds/MyGame.apk
Installing MyGame.apk (45000000 bytes)
Detected Board at /dev/cu.usbmodem14201 (Serial: BD12345)
Uploading: 100%
Installation successful

Launching Your App

Start your installed app:

bdb launch com.yourcompany.yourgame

The package name matches what you configured in Unity’s Player Settings > Other Settings > Package Name.

To then stop your running app:

bdb stop com.yourcompany.yourgame

Find Your Package Name

List apps you’ve installed via bdb:

bdb list

This shows package names for developer-installed apps.

Viewing Logs

Stream logs from your running app:

bdb logs com.yourcompany.yourgame

Press Control+C to stop streaming.

Use logs to debug issues on device, view BoardLogger output, and diagnose crashes.

Managing Apps

List Installed Apps

bdb list

Remove Developer Apps

To remove an individual app via bdb:

bdb remove com.yourcompany.yourgame

Remove all apps you’ve installed via bdb:

bdb cleanup

This removes developer-installed apps but preserves system apps.

Command Reference

Command Description
bdb version Show Board OS version
bdb status Check connection status
bdb install <apk> Install an APK to Board
bdb launch <package> Launch an installed app
bdb stop <package> Stop a running app
bdb logs <package> Stream logs from an app
bdb list List developer-installed apps
bdb remove <package> Remove an installed app
bdb cleanup Remove all developer-installed apps
bdb list-ports List available serial ports (debugging)
bdb help Show help message

Troubleshooting

Board Not Detected

  1. Verify USB cable is connected (data-capable, not charge-only)
  2. Try a different USB port
  3. Run bdb list-ports to see available serial ports

Installation Fails

  • Ensure the APK was built for ARM64 architecture
  • Check that API Level 33 is set in Unity Player Settings
  • Verify sufficient storage on Board (bdb status shows device info)

App Crashes on Launch

  1. Stream logs to see the crash: bdb logs com.yourcompany.yourgame
  2. Rebuild with Development Build enabled for more detailed errors
  3. Check that all required settings are configured (see Project Setup)

Next Steps