Activity used to start app doesn't exist! Make sure it exists

Question

When I try using Appium to test my Hello World Android app, I get Activity used to start app doesn't exist! Make sure it exists

1. I have an apk with a package in it: com.company.myapp
2. The package has an activity in it: MainActivity
3. The apk targets Android 4.4, API level 19
4. I have a simulated Android device via adt-bundle-mac-x86_64-20131030/sdk/tools/emulator -avd 4.4-KitKat-Nexus-4
5. In DesiredCapabilities, I've tried the following for app-activity:
   1. "MainActivity"
   2. ".MainActivity"
   3. "com.company.myapp.MainActivity"
6. Appium's log says debug: Request received with params: {"desiredCapabilities":{"newCommandTimeout":"60","app":"/Users/me/Development/workspace/myapp/bin/myapp.apk","platform":"MAC","browserName":"","app-package":"com.company.myapp","device-ready-timeout":"60","device":"android","launch":"true","compressXml":"true","app-wait-activity":"com.company.myapp.MainActivity","app-activity":"com.company.myapp.MainActivity","version":"4.4"}}
7. Appium creates a session, starts android appium, finds my connected (simulated) device, says App is not installed, App already signed, finds an apk it wants to keep, can't find any to remove, runs adb -s emulator-5554 shell pm install -r [apk it found that it wants to keep], forwards port 4724, wakes up device getting {"value":true,"status":0}, ensures screen is unlocked ...

And then it executes adb -s emulator-5554 shell am start -n com.company.myapp/com.company.myapp.MainActivity and gives the error message above.

It also tries with . prepended to activity and gives the same error message.

Answer 1

I discovered that if the app was installed prior to running my test, it didn't complain about the Activity being absent.

And if I launch appium with appium --full-reset it uninstalls the existing app and then installs some apk and finds the Activity.

Answer 2

Check package name in .java or .kt in the respective app is same as in XML package name.

for example : XML - tools:context="com.example.emptyname.MainActivity" kt - package com.example.emptyname

Answer 3

Does not clear the app data and launch the app from the desire activity      
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
     capabilities.setCapability("deviceName","Galaxy E7");
                   capabilities.setCapability("platformName", "Android");
                   capabilities.setCapability("version", "5.1.1");
                 capabilities.setCapability("noReset", true);
                 capabilities.setCapability("fullReset", false);
               capabilities.setCapability("app", "D:/Builds/RSQuare_Live.apk");
                 capabilities.setCapability("app-wait-activity", "com.rr.consultants.base.SpalshScreenActivity");