Is it possible to use “PackageReference” in Xamarin.Android or Xamarin.iOS projects?

Question

By default, Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android projects use a package.config file to manage Nuget dependencies. The Microsoft page about Package references (Packag

Answer 1

Yes, PackageReference works for Xamarin.iOS|Android projects and in Visual Studio for Windows or Mac or via the cmd-line (nuget restore or via msbuild).

Add the following to the top of your Xamarin.iOS and/or Xamarin.Android .csproj file:

  <PropertyGroup>
    <RestoreProjectStyle>PackageReference</RestoreProjectStyle>
  </PropertyGroup>

My current steps are:

• Copy your packages.config as a backup
  • Use it as a reference when you re-add the packages on the last step
• Manually remove all packages from the project (Xamarin.iOS or Xamarin.Android)
• Edit the csproj and add the PackageReference
• Re-add just the top-level packages

Note: I do the manual package remove one-by-one via the IDE in order to properly update the project references. Also, when re-adding them after the PackageReference additional, the csproj is updated correctly (you can do this manually in the csproj text but it is a pain and easy to screwup).