FAQ

Why do I have to derive from AppCompatFormsApplicationActivity?

AppCompatFormsApplicationActivity implements forwarding methods to an AppCompatDelegate instance. In addition to that, it provides various adapter classes to forward types from Android.App to Android.Support.V7.App (among other namespaces/types). It provides all of the heavy lifting of using the AppCompat library.

Why do I have to setup my styles.xml (or themes.xml) file?

Because...that's how you do it in native Android! Also, by using the standard Android mechanism to theme the app, we should be automatically compatible with whatever Xamarin decides to do when they implement Material Design in Forms.

Can I implement my own AppCompat renderers?

The renderers available in the AppCompat.Renderers package is the normal way of handling custom widget mapping in Forms. Yes, you can certainly implement your own renderer that provides compatibility with Forms controls. You should think about making a pull request though if you do come up with some new hotness! ;)

I don't understand the mechanics of how it works?

Please see this blog post.