No variants found for ‘:app’

When you encounter the error message “no variants found for ‘:app’,” it means that the specific variant or configuration you are trying to access or run is not available.

This error commonly occurs in software development when working with build systems like Gradle. Gradle uses variants to represent different configurations of an application, such as debug and release builds, different flavors of the app, or builds for different product flavors.

To better understand this error, let’s consider an example:

    
      // app/build.gradle
      android {
          ...
          flavorDimensions "version"
          productFlavors {
              free {
                  dimension "version"
                  // Configure properties specific to the free flavor
              }
              paid {
                  dimension "version"
                  // Configure properties specific to the paid flavor
              }
          }
          ...
      }
    
  

In this case, there are two product flavors defined: “free” and “paid,” both belonging to the “version” flavor dimension. Each flavor can have its own set of configurations, such as different application IDs, resources, or dependencies.

Now, let’s assume you’re trying to build the “debug” variant for the “app” module with the following command: ./gradlew app:assembleDebug

If the “debug” variant is not defined within the “app” module, you will encounter the “no variants found for ‘:app'” error. To resolve this issue, you can either define the missing variant or use a valid existing variant.

For example, if you want to build the “free” flavor’s debug variant, you can run the command: ./gradlew app:assembleFreeDebug

It is important to check your project’s build configuration and make sure you are referencing the correct variant. Additionally, ensure that any dependencies specific to the desired variant are properly configured in the build.gradle file.