FLUTTER Android Studio BUMBLEBEE: Generating signed bundle requires you to update the Android Gradle plugin to version 3.2.0 or higher

Question

When I try to build > generate signed bundle AS complains:

Generating signed bundle requires you to update the Android Gradle plugin to version 3.2.0 or higher

If I click on Close this dialog and update the plugin A further dialog appears (AS Bumblebee) titled update the Android Gradle plugin If I hit OK, the dialog vanishes, nothing happens, and I get the same complaint when I try to build a signed app bundle again.

This is really frustrating because I can't upload an app with Googlemaps without signing it. That's my whole app!

OK well similar problems have been answered a few times on StackOverflow, but some of the solutions have become antiquated other solutions don't seem relevant:

1. I can see no way to update Gradle through File > project structure in Android Studio Bumblebee.
2. If I try and update Gradle manually in android/build.gradle, well it already has gradle 7.03, which is way above 3.2.0. Although Gradle and Android Studio's Gradle plugin may have different version numbers. See the code snippet below.
3. I've tried using Android Studio's search box with 'update Gradle plugin' to no effect.
4. I've hunted around Preferences > SDK tools, but no mention of a gradle plugin.
5. Instead of using an app bundle I've tried generating a signed APK, but that has problems too, and the file is larger, so no easy solution.

This is the relevant part of my android/build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:7.0.3'
    classpath "org.jetbrains.kotlin:kotlin-gradle-plugin:$kotlin_version"
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:4.3.5'
}

FURTHER investigation, gradle-wrapper.properties contains this: distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.0.2-all.zip

Which is a different version number to my android/build.gradle:

classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:7.0.3'

I'm not sure why they have different numbers.

This is the last hurdle for one app, and a roadblock in another, please help. I'm totally lost, I've begun to think maybe a Kotlin plugin upgrade has caused havoc somehow.

UPDATE I've reported the issue to Google, via AS's help menu, and in doing so the report said this...

AS: Bumblebee | 2021.1.1; Kotlin plugin: 211-1.6.10-release-923-AS7442.40; Android Gradle Plugin: (plugin information not found); Gradle: (gradle version information not found); Gradle JDK: version 11.0.11; NDK: from local.properties: (not specified), latest from SDK: (not found); LLDB: pinned revision 3.1 not found, latest from SDK: (package not found); CMake: from local.properties: (not specified), latest from SDK: (not found), from PATH: (not found)

That's a lot of things missing! Both gradle and the gradle plugin. I've tried creating a fresh project in AS Bumblebee then asking for a signed bundle but get the same complaint, so it's not because the projects have taken a while.

Any solutions are appreciated. I thought you just downloaded Android Studio and it was all good to go... sigh.

UPDATE attempted the solution offered below, but I do not appear to have a Gradle location set, as per picture...

Answer 1

In Settings, 'Build, Execution, Deployment', 'Build Tools', 'Gradle' I had a 'Use Gradle From' set to a 'Specified Location' and it was breaking the build. It must have come from some previous version. I changed it to "'gradle-wrapper.properties' file" and everything went fine.

I also noted a much larger 'aab' file in Bumblebee. I know I added stuff, but not 8 megabytes worth. It was only code, and maybe a thousand lines.

Answer 2

Well in the end I solved it. In the left hand project files pane I right-clicked on Android > Open in Android Studio, Gradle then took a long time reindexing the project and offered to update the project's Gradle version, which this time it did successfully. HALLEYUH!

I seldom push out signed apps, so I'd forgotten the process for doing this, and the fact that the AS Flutter plugin offered me the option of Tools > build signed app bundle within the plugin led me away from how I've successfully attained a signed app in the past.

I think really the Flutter team shouldn't offer this option if it's not going to work reliably, but the solution is to do it the old way. Change the IDE back into what I presume is 'Java app' view, and be patient while AS runs around fetching gradle and Android SDK updates, reindexing. Then seek Build > signed app bundle from there.

Thanks everybody for your attention, and apologies for wasting energies. x Sam