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{{Infobox console|title = Android|logo = Android.png|developer = Google<br/> Open Handset Alliance|release = 2008|emulated = {{✓}}}} :''This page is about emulating software that emulates Android on other hardware, like desktops. For emulating specific platforms, we'll usually list '{{for|emulators that run on Android ports of emulators |Emulators on the target platform's page; for example, a Game Boy emulator for Android would be listed at the Game Boy emulators page.''}}  

Android is like a Linux distribution in that it uses the Linux kernel to facilitate communication with the hardware and manage processes on the system. Unfortunately, the similarities end there as Android uses an entirely different toolset from standard Linux distributions and no support is given for running it on PCs. (Software development on Android is also nothing like Linux development as apps are compiled into architecture-specific <code>APK</code>s via Java which, like IPA files on [[iOS emulators|iOS]], are specially designed Zip files. They may be occasionally coupled with <code>OBB</code> files).) While Android can technically run Linux binaries, doing so requires superuser privileges that Android does not provide by default. For many devices, you can expect to see a custom ROM that has an integrated su binary (or a means to install it easily, such as a custom recovery) but not all devices have one.

However, the Linux kernel is flexible enough that it can be emulated well unlike iOS, older cell-phone models, and older Japanese Galapagos mobile phones. While Android natively supports mice,<ref group=N>If you have an Android device you can confirm this by connecting a Bluetooth mouse or a USB mouse via a USB On-the-Go adapter.</ref> , most apps expect users to have a touchscreen, so Android emulators will usually default to emulating touchscreen presses like [[Nintendo DS emulators|DS emulation]] (though it can be less than ideal in many cases). The host's keyboard may often emulate the button controller add-ons, and some emulators support [[Xbox 360 emulators|Xbox 360]] controllers as well with some more tweaks.

<div style="color:#000;background:#eef2ff;border:1px solid #b7c5d9;border-radius:8px;padding-left:1em;display:inline-block;padding-right:1em;">'''Important Note:''' These emulators are usually closed source and while they're distributed for free, their devs look for roundabout ways to monetize them. One such high profile case was BlueStacks. Make sure to check if there are pre-installed apps on your emulator (and disable them), monitor your Internet connection download caps and processor activity to detect any abnormal activity (and block domains accordingly if the need arises) and avoid as much as possible giving sensitive account data (just in case it's key-logged). Besides basic safety, these precautions often make impacted emulators run much faster when the adware services and apps are turned off.Windows subsystem for Android is an exception, as Microsoft made it and monetizing comes from the Windows copy you brought. </div>

! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-SourceSoftware">FLOSS</abbr>

|[httphttps://www.bluestacks.com/ {{BlueStacksVer}}]

|[https://www.memuplay.com/ 7.0.8{{MEmuVer}}]

|[httphttps://en.ldplayer.net/ 4.0.50.3.79]

|Nox App PlayerNoxPlayer

|[https://www.bignox.com/ 67.50.02.37]

|MuMu App Player

|[https://mumu.163.com/global/download/en/index.html 1.1.0.2]|VirtualBox|High|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}|-|Peak App Player|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|<br />[https://wwwmumu.peakplayer163.com 1.net/ 1.20.5(v2.3.17) (Chinese Version)]

|[https://anbox.io/ Gitgit]

|?~

|tiantian app playerWindows Subsystem for Android

|[http://www.ttmnq.com/en/ 3.2.8]|VirtualBox|Mid|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}Comes with Windows store|Hyper-V|Andyroid|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}|[https://andyroid.net/ 0.47.226.1076.7]|VmWare|High?|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗~}}

|[httphttps://www.android-x86.org 8.1-r3r6]

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗~}}

|[https://developer.android.com/studio/ 34.5.30]

|LeapDroidAndy OS|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}|[httphttps://wwwandyroid.net/ 0.leapdroid47.com/ 1226.81096.026]|VirtualBoxVmWare

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}|-|SmartGaGa|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[https://www.smartgaga.com/ 1.1.523]|VirtualBox|High|{{✗}} ||{{✗✓}} ||{{✗}}

|[https://developer.chrome.com/apps/getstarted_arc ARC 50.5021.602.0]

|[httphttps://droid4x.haimawan.com cc/ 0.10.7]

|[httphttps://www.koplayerkoplayerpc.com / 2.0.0]

|XePlayerLeapDroid

|[http://xeplayerwww.leapdroid.com/ 61.8.0.10]

|WindroyPeak App Player

|[http://web.archive.org/web/20191120002207/http://www.peakplayer.net/index.php/en/peakplayeren/ 1.2.5 Beta 2]|OriginalVirtualBox|LowHigh

|[http://www.shashlik.io / 0.9.3]

|[https://developergithub.com/xamarin.com/releasesrelease-notes-archive/blob/master/release-notes/android/android-player/ index.md 0.6.5 ($)]

|?Mid

|WindroyeXePlayer

|2[http://xeplayer.9com/ 6.0.10]

|MidHigh

|[https://konstakang.com/ 1618.0 1 <small>(Raspberry Pi 3/4)</small>]

|[https://anbox.io/ Gitgit]

|?~

|align=left|{{Icon|WinMobileWin10Phone}}

;AndyroidAndy OS:Not recommended because it will install a [https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/8rq4fm/reminder_that_andyroid_mines_cryptocurrency/ cryptocurrency miner] on your system without asking or informing about this to the user. Just like Genymotion, Andyroid Andy OS uses VirtualBox, but with a twist: if it detects an installed VirtualBox during installation, '''it will delete it''' and will refuse to work. Beware!

==General Emulation issues=====Lack of Release Notes and Update History informationGoogle apps===While Android is open source, but the Google Play Store has to be licensed from Google in order to incorporate it into a build, including Play Services and many other Google apps. That often means developers pay a fee that can trickle back to the user in some emulators such form (either through adware, privacy-invading trackers, or by selling the emulator as Genymotion do have version history a commercial product). Custom ROMs for real Android devices on their website, most other emulators do not have such history pages, making it difficult Android 4 and earlier used to bundle the Google Play Store but this changed with newer versions. The new method is to track updates as well as regressionsinstall a custom ROM and then install "GApps" through another service like [https://opengapps.org/ the Open GApps Project].

===Emulator ConflictArchitectural differences===Many emulatorsgames often optimize and compile specifically for ARM processors, such as Droid4x, Andyroidwhich prevents them from being executable on x86 CPUs, even when using a project like Android-x86. Some emulators like BlueStacks have ARM emulation by default; in others like Genymotion, and Xamarin cannot co-exist on the same machine because they will uninstall each other. This can be a problem if one game runs it is possible to install an ARM emulator manually (though only on one of these emulators but the other games do not work on itolder versions as such functionality is broken in newer releases).

===Google-related LibrariesConflict===Likely due Many emulators like to licensing issuesuninstall each other for some reason. Droid4x, most Android emulators do not come with Google-related applications and related libraries preinstalled (Google Play Store, Play ServicesAndyroid, Play Games clientGenymotion, etc) and requires the user to manually install them. Many games verify the existence of GoogleXamarin cannot co-related components at exist on the start and refuse to work same machine without modifying their installers, which can be a problem if some or any one game works on only one of them are missingthese emulators but other games do not.

===ARM ApplicationsAntitamper protection===Most commercial games are developed and published only for devices with ARM CPUs such as most smartphones and tablets. However, the PCs we regularly use contain x86 CPUsIn order to reduce cheating, so these many games cannot directly refuse to runif they discover that the device has been rooted. Some emulators like BlueStacks have ARM emulation If the emulator comes rooted by default, and in some others like Genymotion, it is possible to install ARM emulator must be manuallyunrooted before the game can be played. The ARM emulator requires Intel CPUs rooting method for modern devices is Magisk, which installs itself in the bootloader instead of the system partition, which makes it harder to work correctly and not guaranteed to work with all gamesdetect.

===Games with root/Custom ROMs/Emulator Detection===Many commercial Some games refuse take more aggressive measures to run if detect the device is "rooted" presence of Custom ROMs (unofficial firmware) or Android emulators (hacked to allow access to like the ones listed in this page) in the variety of ways like checking for the deep portion existence or absence of Android OS) system files in order to reduce cheating and piratingprevent the game from running in any unverified environments. If These games are very difficult or plain impossible to play on emulators without resorting to cracked versions of the emulator is rooted by default, it must be unrooted manually before the game can be playedgames.

Some games ===Android-based Operating Systems===There are very aggressive that they detect Custom ROMs many [[wikipedia:Fork_(unofficial firmwaresoftware_development) or |forks]] of Android emulators (like , these go beyond a custom UI and are new OS's that use the ones listed in this page) by the variety of ways like checking the existence and absence of system files Android code in order addition to prevent the game from running in any unauthorized environmentswriting their own code. These games are very difficult or plain impossible to play depending on emulators without resorting to cracked versions of the games. Solutions exist, like using MagiskSU how much (bundled with the Magisk flashable zipand what) new code, features and hiding root API's were added, will determine the effects they will have on anything Google Play related or installed apps that check Android emulation but if one is for itsure, these forks are (most likely) going to cause some emulation issues.

*[[Cellphone emulators]] - info Information on emulators for various feature phone/non-smartphone platforms.*https://www.luckypatchers.com/ [[Emulators on Android]] - Lucky Patcher APK's latest versionVarious emulators for Android platform [[Category:ConsolesMobiles]][[Category:Android emulators|*]]