Mac optimizing apps meaning. Here’s how you can start developing Android apps from Android Studio on Chrome OS. Update: As of May 2019, Google has provided a simple, one-click installation process for Android Studio on. Here you can find links to download and run android apps on chrome without having to make changes in the.apk files yourselves. Please do leave comments in the comments section, if you are interested to know the process to convert the.apk files of applications that are not available in the list provided.
Last year, Google granted a new power to its notebooks (a.k.a. Chromebooks), the ability to run Android apps. Of course, the idea started with a very small number of apps being compatible with the platform. Now Google has brought this functionality to its desktop browser, Google Chrome. Which means you can now run most Android apps on Mac or Windows, within the Chrome browser.
Before we tell you how to do it for yourself, there’s a little bit of theory (über Android geeks might want to look away now, the following text might be cringeworthy for you). Android apps are meant to be run on the Android OS itself. However, Google recently introduced something called “App Runtime for Chrome”, or ARC, which enables native Android apps to run within the Chrome browser. But this isn’t the same, or as easy as installing Android apps from the Play Store and running them, because there’s a lot that goes on under the hood in an Android device, and the same level as of support isn’t (yet) possible on a desktop platform. Google’s move proves that it’s up to something- bringing Android apps to Chrome would open up a lot of possibilities for the apps and the developers. For now it’s in a very initial stage, just for you to check it out, and all apps may not work as you expect. Hopefully this technology will get refined over time and most of the apps that we use and love on our Android devices can make their way to the desktop as well.
So here’s how you can run most Android apps inside of Chrome, on a Mac or Windows based PC. Make sure you have Google Chrome installed (duh). Then head over to Chrome web store to download the ARC Welder app for Chrome (very witty name, Google). Once it’s installed, launch it from the Chrome app launcher.
On first launch, the ARC welder app would ask you to specify a directory for local storage. Click ‘Choose’ to select a folder on your computer and carry on with the process.
Now ARC Welder would ask you for an APK. We already explained that this process wouldn’t be as easy as installing an app from the Play Store (for now). Yet, adding an APK wouldn’t be that difficult either. Just so you know, APK is the file extension for Android apps, and most (if not all) of the apps in your Android device are essentially APK files. You can legally download APKs from the Play Store using the APK downloader (just give it the Play Store link of a free app and it would download the APK for you). Once you have an APK, click the ‘Add your APK’ button to locate it on your computer and load it.
Play Android Apps On Chrome
After loading the APK, ARC Welder asks you in what orientation should the app run, what kind of device is to be emulated, and whether the app should have access to the clipboard or not. Once you’ve set the parameters, click ‘Launch App’.
And bingo, the app should be up and running.
It’s good to see how scrolling gestures work perfectly, and the app simply runs in an non-Android environment. While this is just a preview of what’s to come, and there are definitely a few performance issues, lack of supporting services (for instance, you might experience crashes when the app requires camera access), and limited functionality due to hardware (don’t expect to play Temple Run on it yet) — this is definitely a starting point in a new dimension for Google’s mobile services. The idea is to expand the apps to laptops and desktops, not just to those running Chrome OS, but also on Macs and PCs, as long as you have Google Chrome. Let’s see how Google shapes this up and where do the apps from Play Store end up running.
Useful links:
Given a chance, I am sure most of you would love to run your favorite Android apps on your personal Windows computer. Well, there’s always been a way to get that done, but it required installation of the entire Android SDK on programming tools like Eclipse or NetBeans. Used to be complicated process, trust me. Not anymore though.
Recently, Google came out with a developer tool called ARC Welder for Chrome that can run and test Android apps directly on the Chrome browser. Besides PCs, the ARC Welder app works on Chromebooks as well, and thus you can run Android apps on your Chromebook.
All you need is the APK file of the app you wish to run.
Android Apps In Chrome Browser
Getting Started: Obtaining the APK Files
The APK file of an app can be obtained from one of the many mirrors online. Just search for the app along with the keyword ‘APK Download’ and you will see plenty of mirrors that will allow you to directly download the APK file to your computer. Furthermore, you can use apps like ES File Explorer to transfer the APKs of installed apps to your computer and then test them using the ARC Tool.
So in this article, I will show you how to install and configure the ARC Welder tool to test your app without any hassle.
Running Apps on ARC Welder
After you have the APK file of the app you wish to test on your computer, open the Chrome App Store and download the ARC Welder Tool. It can take some time for the app to download and install, as some additional files will be downloaded to resolve dependencies. But don’t worry, everything will be done automatically by the installer and once installed, the ARC icon will appear in the Chrome App Drawer.
After you open the app, it will ask you to select a folder on the computer. This folder will be used by the tool to save the APK files while they’re loaded in the memory. Having done that, the app will ask you to import an APK file to the tool. Click on the plus sign and import any APK that you have downloaded in your computer.
ARC will ask how you want to launch the app. Select the orientation that you think will work best for the app. Like if you’re launching Facebook or Candy Crush Saga, the portrait mode would be the ideal choice.
The next thing you should choose is whether you want to launch the app in tablet mode or mobile mode, and finally, select if you need clipboard access. With clipboard access, you will be able to input text in the app using your keyboard. How to uninstall an app on mac air.
Finally, when everything is in place click Launch App and the ARC Tool will run the app in a new Chrome window. You can now interact with the app and work on it just like it was running on Android.
Some Points to Remember
Here are some points you must remember while using the ARC Welder tool. Cancel installation of mac app once started installation.
- The tool can run just one app at a given time and when you load a second app, the first app is removed from the memory.
- You cannot run apps that require Android services. Like the YouTube app, which requires Play Services to sign you in – this won’t work in your Chrome browser because you will not be able to access your account.
- You can play games on these apps, but make sure that the data progress is saved online in your account. Any data saved locally will be removed each time you unmount the app.
Keep these points in mind while testing apps on the ARC tool. https://sysrenew146.weebly.com/app-store-updates-mac.html. I was able to run ES File Explorer, Candy Crush Saga, and Brain Wars. However Spotify never launched and was stuck on a white screen. Therefore, the tool might not work for every app and you might have to wait for the next version update.
Conclusion
That was pretty much everything about the ARC Welder tool and how you can use it to test Android apps directly on your computer without installing the hefty Android SDK. The tool also works on Chromebooks without any issues. So try it out today.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Also See#Android apps #chrome
Did You Know
Notion was founded by Ivan Zhao.