Rick and Morty Mobile App with KivyMD

Mobile Development
KivyMD
Python
API
A cross-platform mobile app built with KivyMD and the Rick and Morty API, featuring character browsing, favorites, and authentication.
Author

Luis Carlos Pallares Ascanio

Published

July 10, 2025

Rick and Morty Mobile App

Project Overview

This project is a mobile application built with Python, Kivy, and KivyMD, leveraging the Rick and Morty API to create an engaging experience for fans. The app allows users to browse characters, view detailed information, save favorites, and manage accounts through a sleek, Material Design-inspired interface. Itñs designed to be responsive across Android, iOS, and desktop platforms.

Screenshots

kivymd-2.0.1.dev0
Figura: Current development version of kivymd (2.0.1.dev0).

kivymd-1.1.1
Figura: Stable version of kivymd (1.1.1), no use of themes.

Features

  • Login and Registration: Secure user authentication for personalized access.
  • Character Browser: Displays characters from the Rick and Morty API, including name, species, and status.
  • Favorites Screen: Save and view favorite characters.
  • Navigation Bar: Intuitive navigation across app sections.
  • Responsive UI: Built with KivyMD for a modern, cross-platform interface.

Tech Stack

  • Python: Core language for development.
  • Kivy: Framework for cross-platform UI.
  • KivyMD: Material Design components for a polished look.
  • Rick and Morty API: Provides character data.
  • Requests: Handles API calls.

Project Structure

rickmorty_app/
├── main.py                   # Entry point
├── assets/                   # Static resources
│   ├── fonts/                # Custom fonts
│   │   ├── font1
│   │   └── font2
│   ├── images/               # App images (logo, icons)
│   │   ├── logo.svg
│   │   ├── icon.png
│   │   └── placeholder.png
│   └── screenshots/          # Screenshots for documentation
├── components/               # Reusable UI components
│   ├── character_tile.py     # Logic for character tile
│   └── character_tile.kv     # Design for character tile
├── controllers/              # Business logic
│   ├── auth_controller.py    # Authentication logic
│   ├── character_controller.py # Character data handling
│   └── favorites_controller.py # Favorites management
├── models/                   # Data models
│   ├── user_model.py         # User data
│   ├── favorite_model.py     # Favorite characters
│   └── database.py           # Database operations
├── views/                    # UI screens
│   ├── auth/
│   │   ├── login.kv          # Login screen design
│   │   ├── login.py          # Login screen logic
│   │   ├── register.kv       # Registration screen design
│   │   └── register.py       # Registration screen logic
│   ├── characters/
│   │   ├── characters_list.kv  # Character list design
│   │   ├── characters_list.py  # Character list logic
│   │   ├── character_detail.kv # Character detail design
│   │   └── character_detail.py # Character detail logic
│   └── favorites/
│       ├── favorites_list.kv # Favorites list design
│       └── favorites_list.py # Favorites list logic
└── utils/                    # Utilities
    ├── api_client.py         # API requests
    └── helpers.py            # Helper functions

Development Process

  1. Environment Setup:

    • Installed Python 3.8+, Kivy, KivyMD, and Requests.

    • Configured Buildozer for Android packaging, excluding screenshots/ in buildozer.spec to keep the APK lightweight:

      source.exclude_dirs = tests, bin, venv, drive, .git, .vscode, __pycache__, .kivy, screenshots
  2. UI Development:
    • Used KivyMD to create responsive screens with .kv files for design and .py files for logic.
    • Implemented a navigation bar for seamless transitions.
  3. API Integration:
    • Developed api_client.py to fetch character data from the Rick and Morty API.
    • Handled pagination to load multiple pages of characters.
  4. Data Management:
    • Created a local database (database.py) for user credentials and favorites.
    • Managed favorites through favorites_controller.py.
  5. Documentation:
    • Added a README.md with setup instructions and placeholders for screenshots in assets/screenshots/.

Challenges

  • KivyMD Syntax: Learning to separate design (.kv) and logic (.py) was initially tricky but improved code organization.
  • API Pagination: Required extra logic in api_client.py to handle multiple API pages.
  • Buildozer: Ensuring screenshots/ was excluded in buildozer.spec avoided bloating the APK.

Future Improvements

  • Add search functionality for characters.
  • Implement offline caching for API data.
  • Enhance UI with animations for smoother transitions.
  • Update screenshots in assets/screenshots/ and refine the Quarto project page.

Source Code

Check out the project on GitHub.

Conclusion

This project was a fun way to combine my passion for Rick and Morty with mobile development. KivyMD made it easy to create a modern UI, and the Rick and Morty API provided rich data. Documenting it in my Quarto websiteñs projects section helps showcase my work and track progress. Stay tuned for updates!

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