How to automatically uninstall android app from device before installing a new version

Apparently, if you in Run -> Edit Configurations..., on the left side there is a expendable list of Android configurations.

Select yours, on the right side of the window are details on the configuration, at the bottom of that section is the Before launch section.

Create a gradle-aware Make, given the task :app:uninstallAll or :app:uninstallDebug whichever suits you. (There is autocompletion to get all the available tasks, app may vary if you have several modules).


The current answer is a little outdated, these are the simplest steps:

  • Select Edit Configurations from the dropwdown
  • Find the section Before Launch: Gradle task, Gradle-aware Make
  • Click + and choose Run Gradle task
  • In the Gradle project field, select the root of your project
  • In the Tasks field enter :app:uninstallAll or equivalent
  • Leave the other fields blank and press OK
  • Reorder the tasks so your new one is first / top of the list