Today I’m going to take the cross-platform fun one step further, by showing you how to run Android apps on your Chromebook or right on your macOS loaded Mac.Vysor puts your iOS or Android on your desktop. A while back I showed readers of the Rocket Yard how to take an old MacBook and repurpose it as a Chromebook — a computer that runs Google Chrome as a web-based operating system. To run Android apps (.apk. BlueStacks 2 is a free Android emulator that runs on macOS and Windows, so no matter what kind of personal computer you have, you can try out Android apps. In addition to running Android apps on a Mac-turned-Chromebook or in the Chrome Web Browser, there’s actually a way to run a pseudo-Android device on your Mac.If you can't use the emulators and don't have access to real devices, then cloud-based emulators are the next best thing. Cloud-based emulators and simulators. A desktop or web app, compatible with all operating systems.However, you may not want to for some very good reasons that I’ll divulge further on in this post. Whatever the reason, you can run Android apps on your MacBook-turned-Chromebook or on the Mac itself. Some people may want to be able to play Android games on their Macs or PCs, just because they’re plugged in and have “infinite” battery life. Perhaps you’re interested in seeing what the other side has to offer, or maybe you’re a developer who wants to dabble in both iOS and Android.
Chromebook Emulator Free Android EmulatorClick to expand the section, and follow the instructions. Scroll down to Find the Media Access Control (MAC) address. Visit Google's Connect to Wi-Fi page. We will use a third-party script called crouton to.Find your Chromebook's MAC address. Click Add App, and ARC Welder is downloaded and installed as part of the Chrome environment on your Mac. Click the Add to Chrome button, at which time a dialog appears asking whether you wish to Add Arc Welder. The acronym ARC stands for App Runtime for Chrome, and it provides a way for developers or Android-curious folks to run one Android app at a time in either the Chrome OS or Chrome Web Browser.With Chrome Browser or Chrome OS installed, click this link to view ARC Welder in the Chrome Web Store. No, this doesn’t mean that you’re going to be putting on a welding mask and firing up a generator to power your arc welder. Button next to it.Internet Explorer for your Mac and ChromeBook Supports Java / Silverlight / Shockwave / Flash Easily switch between Internet Explorer versions (IE7, IE8, IE9, IE10, IE11)To run Android apps on your former-Mac-turned-Chromebook or in the Chrome Web Browser on Mac or PC, you need to turn to ARC Welder. Look for ifconfig, and then click the Expand. However, at least with Chrome Web Browser, you can’t download those files directly to the Mac — instead, they want to be installed on an Android device. You’ll be asked to provide a device orientation (portrait or landscape) and type (phone or tablet).So, where do you get those APK files? Well, normally you’d get them from Google Play or another Android app store. Once you’ve selected that folder, ARC Welder asks you to “Add your APK” — in other words, give it the Android app file so it can be converted to a Chrome app and run on your computer. It will also ask you to select a directory (folder) on your Mac or PC where it can write files to the computer’s filesystem. Did I mention that ARC Welder is a developer tool? It is… ARC Welder, attempting (unsuccessfully) to convert and run the Geocaching app.For Macs or PCs running Chrome Browser, ARC Welder displays a dialog helpfully reminding you that you’re using ARC Welder on a non-Chrome OS device. ARC Welder in the Chrome Web StoreIn Chrome OS, you’re now free to take APK files (Android apps) and ARC Welder converts them into Chrome apps for “testing”. I also suggest that you do your own searches for APK files as we will not recommend any of these sites. We don’t accept any responsibility for any issues that may occur if you use one of these sites to download free apps. Even after that, it wouldn’t run on Chrome Browser, only on actual Chrome OS on my “Frankentosh”.Alternatively, and much more dangerous from a security standpoint, there are sites of questionable background that have APK files available for download. In order to get the device ID for my “Android” device in order to try this, I actually had to run a Device ID app in an emulator (see below) then paste that ID into APK-Downloader. Why do I not recommend this? You need to have a Device ID for your Android device…and what if you don’t have an Android device? It’s a no-go situation. Follow the instructions to install and start the appPretty simple, right? Well, maybe not. Dmg (disk image) file and double-click it to begin the install. To run Android apps (.apk files) on your Mac: BlueStacks 2 is a free Android emulator that runs on macOS and Windows, so no matter what kind of personal computer you have, you can try out Android apps. So take that as a big caveat you may have to devote your Mac strictly to running the emulator and nothing else.One other tip: since BlueStacks 2 is an Android emulator and you’ll be pulling down your apps from Google Play (the Android equivalent to the iOS App Store), you will need to have a Google account. Your Mac locks up completely and you’re usually greeted with a screen that looks something like this:To recover, I had to do the first thing listed on this message press and hold the power button until the iMac shut down, then press it again to power back up.What did I finally have to do to get BlueStacks 2 running properly? Shut down every other app on my Mac. In case you’re not familiar with a kernel panic, it’s not the type of thing you want to see on a regular basis. Snippet tool for mac freeI take no responsibility for any embarrassment caused to you when your friends see that. You’ll also get an email from Google telling you that your account signed into a Samsung Galaxy S5. I said no, since I personally don’t have as much trust in Google’s definition of “personal privacy” as I do in Apple’s, and I don’t need more junk email. ![]() ![]()
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