Changes

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Android emulators

32,990 bytes added, 5 May
m
Comparisons
'{{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 apps and games on PC as it is slowly building off an important library of exclusivesother hardware, and emulation coupled with CheatEngine is certainly interestinglike desktops. If you're interested in '{{for|emulators for your that run on Android|Emulators on Android phone, check [[:Category:Consoles]] and see individual console page.'''}}
'''[[wikipedia:Android(operating system)|Android]]''' is a mobile operating system (OS) based on the Linux kernel and currently developed by Googleand the Open Handset Alliance. Unlike It was originally developed in secret before launching in 2008 as a competitor against Apple's [[iOS emulators|iPhone]]. While other mobile operating systems have been made throughout the years, none have emerged in terms of market share nearly as well much as older cell-phone models and older Japanese Galapagos mobile phones, emulating Android software on PC is more developed, though no open source emulator with a high degree of game compatibility exists yet.
Like 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 [[Nintendo DS iOS emulators|iOS]], the computer mouse is used to emulate touchscreen presses (which can are specially designed Zip files. They may be less than ideal in many casesoccasionally coupled with <code>OBB</code> files). While Android can technically run Linux binaries, and the keyboard emulates the button controller add-onsdoing so requires superuser privileges that Android does not provide by default. Some emulators support X360 controllers 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 well with some more tweaksa 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 or USB mouse via a USB adapter.</ref>, most apps come 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 with some more tweaks. To run Android apps on your computer, most of the Android emulators employ a two-step approach.apk file format First, they set up a virtual environment using [[Hypervisors|hypervisor]] (occasionally coupled with and of course support for [[Wikipedia:X86_virtualization#Hardware-assisted_virtualization|hardware assisting virtualization]] such as vt-x/amd-v and virtual gpu adapter such as [https://docs.mesa3d.org/drivers/virgl.obb fileshtml VirGL]). Just like its Then, they use [[Recommended_linux_distros#Emulation_focused|custom Android-x86 images]] and translation layer such as "[[IOS emulatorsCompatibility_layer|iOSlibhoudini or libndk or Intel BT]] equivalent " to convert instructions from ARM processors (IPA filesused in phones)to work on your computer's x86 architecture. See [[#Hardware features]] supported ABI, their innards can be opened as a regular 7z fileAPI sections and [[#Enhancements]] built-in translation layer and VM columns for more information<references group=N/>
==Emulators==
'''Important Note:''' These emulators are usually closed source and while they're distributed for free;Before diving in, their devs look ;*[[Hypervisors|Hardware-assisted virtualization]] feature must be turned from your BIOS for roundabout ways most of these methods due to monetize themperformance reasons. One such high profile case was BlueStacks. Make sure ;*You need to check turn off Hyper-V from Windows Feature panel if there are pre[[Hypervisors|Type-installed apps on your 2 hypervisor]] used by the emulator (and disable them)due to [[Hypervisors#Hyper-V_feature_conflict_issue|conflict issue]]. Having said that some emulators like BlueStacks provide special Hyper-V build for prevent this issue. Recently, with [https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/22561951043981-BlueStacks-5-20-Release-Notes#01HMGBJDK8G7J7S9C0G5R9SBVR BlueStacks 5 version 5.20, monitor your Internet connection download caps and processor activity to detect any abnormal activity (and block domains accordingly if the need arises) and avoid you can now run BlueStacks with Hyper-V enabled] including all instances such as much Nougat 32-bit, which will run as possible giving sensitive account data (just in case itintended and no additional changes required.;*Tons of bloated, obsolete or non-active other Android "emulators" exists there but we's key-logged)re not gonna list them, see [https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php?title=Android_emulators&diff=66635&oldid=66634#Emulators this page] for that. Besides basic safety;*If you already have an Android device, we recommend using a mirroring application like "[https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy scrcpy]" instead of these precautions often make impacted "emulators run much faster when the adware services and apps are turned off".<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"|+PC
|-
! scope="col"|Name
! scope="col"|OSPlatform(s)
! scope="col"|Version
! scope="col"|Free[[#Hardware_features|Hardware features]]! scope="col"|[[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]! scope="col"|VMCompatibility! scope="col"|[[Emulation Accuracy<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>! scope="col"|Accuracy]]Active
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
|-
! colspan="10"|x86
|-
|[[Genymotion]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, |Linux, |macOS}}
|[https://www.genymotion.com/download/ {{GenymotionVer}}]
|{{~}} (Non-Dev Versions)|VirtualBox{{~}}|High?|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[[BlueStacks]https://play.google.com/googleplaygames Google Play Games]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, macOS}}|[httphttps://wwwplay.bluestacksgoogle.com/ googleplaygames#section-system-requirements Beta]<br/>[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/emulator Developer]|{{BlueStacksVer~}}]|{{~}}|QEMU <small>[https://play.google.com/googleplaygames/exploregames Only for selected titles] (before v2.5Beta build) <br/ VirtualBox >? (after v2.5Developer build)</small>|High{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|MEmu[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/android/wsa/release-notes WSA]<br/><small>This shouldn't be confused with WSL or WSL2.<br/>See [[Hypervisor]] page for WSL2 and [[Compatibility layer]] page for WSL.</small>|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|Comes with Windows store<br/>[https://www.memuplaygithub.com/ 6.2.1cinit/WSAPatch WSA patch for Windows 10]|{{~}}|VirtualBox{{~}}||[https://github.com/riverar/wsa-app-compatibility#support-tables 66%<br/><small>368 out of 558 reported titles</small>]|High?|{{~}}[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/android/wsa/ *] ||{{~}}
|-
|LDPlayer[https://waydro.id/index.html Waydroid]|Windowsalign=left|{{Icon|Linux}}|[httphttps://enwaydro.ldplayerid/#install git]<br />[https://github.netcom/ 3.60casualsnek/waydroid_script Extras script]|{{}}|VirtualBox{{✗}}|High?|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|Nox App Player[https://trinityemulator.github.io/ Trinity]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[https://www.bignoxgithub.com/ 6.2.8.0TrinityEmulator/TrinityEmulator/releases git]|{{~}}|VirtualBox{{~}}|High?|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}}
|-
|SmartGaGa|Windows|Android Studio<br/><small>It's an IDE and it includes [https://wwwdeveloper.smartgagaandroid.com/ 1.1.523studio/intro/update#sdk-manager built-in Android Emulator]</small>|align=left|{{✓}}Icon|VirtualBox|HighWindows|{{✓Linux}}|-|tiantian app player|Windows|[httphttps://wwwdeveloper.ttmnqandroid.com/enstudio/ 3.2.7archive Beta and Canary builds]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High|{{✓}}|-|XePlayer|Windows|<br/>[httphttps://xeplayerdeveloper.android.com/ 6studio/ 4.0.10]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High
|{{✓}}
|{{~}}
|?
|<span title="Source-available"><sup>{{~}}</sup></span> ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|KoPlayer|Windows|[http://www.koplayer.com 2.0.0[Anbox]]|align=left|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|HighIcon|{{✓Linux}}|-|Droid4X|Windows, macOS|[httphttps://droid4xdocs.haimawananbox.com 0io/userguide/install.10.7html git]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|High
|{{✗}}
|-
|Andyroid
|Windows, macOS
|[https://andyroid.net/ 0.47.226.1076.7]
|{{✓}}
|VmWare
|High
|{{✗}}
|?
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|YouWave[[BlueStacks]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}|[https://youwavesupport.bluestacks.com/ 5.11hc/en-us/sections/360012290292-Release-Notes {{BlueStacksVer}}]|{{~}}|VirtualBox{{~}}|Mid[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/4413818315789-Games-playable-on-different-Android-versions-on-BlueStacks-5 ?]|{{✗}}||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N2 name=Bloatware>These emulators are closed-source, and while they're distributed for free, their devs look for roundabout ways to monetize them. '''Since these emulators closed-source and comes with adware and bloatware applications, it's important to research the developers background before using them to ensure their trustworthiness and avoid potential privacy risks before using them'''. MuMu, LDPlayer, NoxPlayer and MEmu developed by the various Chinese software companies and BlueStacks App Player developed by American technology company called "[https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4928776 BlueStacks]". Despite data security regulations existing in various regions (e.g., [[Wikipedia:General_Data_Protection_Regulation|GDPR]] in the "EU", [[Wikipedia:California_Consumer_Privacy_Act|CCPA]] in "California", and [[Wikipedia:Cybersecurity_Law_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China|Cybersecurity Law]] in "PRC"), concerns regarding government surveillance in certain countries like the "PRC" remain significant. Therefore, we recommend exercising caution when relying on closed-source software developed within such jurisdictions. Make sure to check if there are pre-installed '''extra''' apps comes with these emulators and disable or uninstall them (e.g. BlueStacks X, BlueStacks Services etc.), monitor your internet traffic and processor activity to detect any abnormal activity and block domains accordingly if the need arises or use tools like '[https://github.com/henrypp/simplewall simplewall]'. Also avoid giving sensitive account data as much as is possible due to potential security reasons. Besides basic safety, these precautions often make impacted emulators run faster and more responsive when the adware services and apps are turned off.</ref>
|-
|Android x86MuMu|Multi-platformalign=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS}}|[httphttps://wwwmumu.android-x86163.org 8com/global/download/en/index.html 1-rc2.1.0.2]<br /><small>[https://mumu.163.com 1.1.0.5 (v2.3.17) (Chinese Ver)]</small>|?|?|?|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}|VirtualBox, VMWare (for 3d acc)|Mid|{{✗}}<ref group=N2 name=Bloatware></ref>
|-
|Android StudioLDPlayer|align=left|{{Icon|Windows, Linux}}|[https://developeren.androidldplayer.comnet/studio/ 34.0.250.23]|?|?|?|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}|QEMU|Low|{{✗}}<ref group=N2 name=Bloatware></ref>
|-
|AnboxNoxPlayer|Linuxalign=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[https://anboxwww.bignox.io/ Gitcom 7.0.2.7]|{{✓}}?|Not an emulator (wine-like approach)?
|?
|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}||{{✗}}<ref group=N2 name=Bloatware></ref>
|-
!colspan="7"|ConsolesMEmu|-align=left|LineageOS{{Icon|Nintendo SwitchWindows}}|[https://switchrootwww.memuplay.orgcom/ 15.1]|{{MEmuVer}}]|?|based of the Nvidia Shield TV build of LineageOS?
|?
|{{✗}} ||{{✓}}||{{✗}}<ref group=N2 name=Bloatware></ref>
|-
!colspan="710"|Abandoned/DiscontinuedARM
|-
|LeapDroid[https://waydro.id/index.html Waydroid]|Windowsalign=left|{{Icon|Linux}}|[httphttps://wwwwaydro.leapdroidid/#install git]<br />[https://github.com/ 1.8.0casualsnek/waydroid_script Extras script]|{{}}|VirtualBox{{✗}}|High?|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|AMI DuOS[[Anbox]]|Windowsalign=left|{{Icon|Linux}}|[https://amidocs.anbox.comio/enuserguide/tech-blog/farewell-amiduos/ 2install.0.8.8511html git]|{{✓}}|VirtualBox|Mid
|{{✗}}
|-
|ARC Welder<br /><small>(Google Chrome)</small>
|Windows, Linux, macOS<br/>Chrome OS
|[https://developer.chrome.com/apps/getstarted_arc 50.5021.602.0]
|{{✓}}
|Original
|Mid
|{{✗}}
|?
|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|}
</div>
 
==Android Linux distros ([[Recommended_Linux_distros#Android|...]])==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
|-
! scope="col"|WindroyName! scope="col"|WindowsFrontend! scope="col"|1.2Latest Version! scope="col"|{{✓}}[[#Hardware_features|Hardware features]]! scope="col"|[[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]! scope="col"|OriginalCompatibility! scope="col"|Low<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>! scope="col"|Active! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|{{✗}}Recommended]]
|-
! colspan="10"|Shashlik|Linux|[http://www.shashlik.io 0.9.3]|{{✓}}|Original|Low|{{✗}}x86
|-
|Project AstoriaBlissOS|Windows 10 MobileAndroid-x86 fork<br/><small>includes 3 launchers: Taskbar, Quickstep and Smart Dock.</small>|Discontinued[https://blissos.org/index.html#download 16.9.x]|{{~}}|Original{{~}}|Low?|{{?}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|Xamarin Android PlayerBerry OS|Windows, macOSBased on Android-x86 and Bliss OS<br/><small>Mini Desktop launcher is pre-installed.</small>|[https://developer.xamaringithub.com/releasesyui0/androidberry-os/androidreleases 2023-player/ 0.6.502-22]|{{?}}|VirtualBox{{?}}
|?
|{{?}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|WindroyeAndroid-x86|WindowsTrebuchet (KitKat version)|2[https://www.9android-x86.0org 2022-03-25]|{{~}}|VirtualBox|Mid{{~}}
|?
|{{✓}} ||{{~}}<abbr title="Development activity on Android-x86 has significantly slowed down.">*</abbr> ||{{✗}}
|}
The VM column describes what backend technology the emulator uses. Emulators labeled with "VirtualBox" sometimes needs the user to install [https:<references group=N2 //www.virtualbox.org/ Oracle VM VirtualBox]. Usually, it is installed automatically.>
===Comparisons===
;[[Genymotion]]:A closed-source Android emulator with lots of [[#Hardware_features|hardware-accelerated 3D graphics and USB host supportfeatures]], available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. In its latest versionsIt's not designed for gaming, but [https://support.genymotion.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003059737-Can-I-play-games-with-Genymotion it has pretty good decent software compatibility with commercial games]. It's a commercial product though, aimed at software developers and QA teams. Youand you'll need to create an account and download the free non-commercial use license available. Except for the pay-to-remove "free for personal use" watermark on the screen, paid builds to add features only useful for Android app developers. Unlike other closed-source emulators, Genymotion avoids pre-installing unnecessary apps.
Setting up ;Google Play Games:Not to be confused with the emulator itself is not too hard, but a bit [[Preservation_projects#Private_Platform_Servers|service of tinkering is required to add the same name]], Google Play store Games is a PC application that lets you browse, download, and play '''select mobile games''' on a Windows desktop or laptop. Use developer build if you want more [[http://forum#Hardware_features|hardware feature]] support.xda-developersGoogle Play Games is not yet available for Mac.com/showthreadCurrently, only bunch of games are available for beta version but Google adding games on a regular basis.php?t=2528952 ARM processor emulation] (what you need essentially here to play the commercial releases) as well as <ref>[https://groupsplay.google.com/dgoogleplaygames#section-faqs Google Play Games FAQ]</msg/genymotionref>[[File:Android Studio built-users/JpO8HR39PR0/NpSkrnsB8d8J Xbox 360 controller support]in emulator device skin demonstration. Not noobjpeg|thumb|298px|Android Studio built-friendlyin emulator device skin demonstration, but if you're experienced enough with Android to know your way around a rooted filesystem it shouldn't be too hard.see [[#Enhancements]]]]
;Trinity:Open source Android emulator, it aims for high [[BlueStacks]]https:Also commercial with a free option (requires a google account)//youtu. Itbe/tfq4MsxaHZw?t=855 performance] and it's less good even faster than Genymotion and doesn't handle USB cable emulationGoogle Play Games emulator. See [https://github. Previous versions used to come with an installer with adware comes with junk apps within the emulator and has a noncom/TrinityEmulator/TrinityEmulator#2-detailed-intuitive uninstaller, but that's no longer the case todayinstructions Guest OS image installation guide] for installation. Also see [https://www.youtube. It includes Google Apps by default, though youcom/watch?v=tfq4MsxaHZw OSDI 'll need to install a file manager to copy game cache when loading your own .apk files22 - Trinity: High-Performance Mobile Emulation through Graphics Projection] presentation for more information.
;MEmuAndroid Studio:A free Android Studio is an IDE software based on JetBrains' IntelliJ IDEA. It has built-in Android emulator with very good accuracy[https://developer.android.com/studio/run/managing-avds AVD (Android Virtual Device) configuration manager]. While its built-in emulator (which is literally called as [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator "Android Emulator"]) may not be the fastest or software compatible (supports lots of OS image though), Android Studio shines as a developer's toolkit, offering seamless integration with coding, debugging, and testing tools for Android smartphones, [[Smart_TV_emulators#Android_TV.2FGoogle_TV|Android TVs]], [https://developer.android.com/wear Wear OS] and other Android ecosystem hardware. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1TTzkToDyE Recent updates brings new UI] aims to reduce complexity, sometimes outperforming BlueStacksprovide easier access to essential features etc. It has built-in plugin manager which you can get Genymotion plugin for further enhance its emulation capabilities. Also you can use [https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/pg-emulator#debug adb to debugging with developer version of "Google Play Games" emulator]. Supports lots of [[#Hardware features]] and [[#Enhancements]]. See release notes for [https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/emulator built-in "Android Emulator"] and [https://androidstudio.googleblog.com/ Android Studio] for more information.
;LDPlayerWaydroid and Anbox:An These are hypervisor-based containers. They run an Android emulator also with good accuracyOS image inside a container. When testing games along side Nox, LDPlayer shows It is a similar approach to have better performanceWSA and Google Play Games. They work completely differently from Wine/Proton [[compatibility with gameslayers]], which translate API calls, without a hypervisor.:Anbox is a project that aims to run Android applications on Ubuntu distributions. It is in alpha state and only known to work on Ubuntu 16.04. Anbox requires custom kernel modules to run because, unlike other emulators which emulate the whole Linux kernel, this one uses the host system's Linux kernel directly.
;Droid4xBlueStacksHas good accuracy but forcefully uninstalls VirtualBox, so it cannot co-exist :A commercial software with Genymotion a decent compatibility and Xamarinperformance. It's not recommended because it will install hidden background services (xunleihas lots of [[#Enhancements|enhancement]] and [[#Hardware_features|hardware feature]] support.exe, Newer versions bundled with "BlueStacks X" software and Thunder.exe"BlueStacks services" which you can uninstall it afterwards, both by the Chinese company which developed Droid4x) that seed Chinese torrents constantly and they are a pain you need to uninstall or deactivate these during each update session unfortunately (in case you've already fallen for it, use Revo UninstallerBlueStacks Player do not need these apps). It includes Google Apps by default.
;AndyroidMuMu Player:Not recommended because it will install a [httpsAnother closed-source Android emulator. There are three versions of MuMu available:;MuMu Player 6://www:This version of MuMu uses Android 6.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/8rq4fm/reminder_that_andyroid_mines_cryptocurrency/ cryptocurrency miner] 0 Marshmallow:;MuMu Player X::This one is based on your system without asking or informing about this to the user. Just like Genymotion, Andyroid uses VirtualBox, but Android 12 Snow Cone and may have more compatibility with a twistgames:;MuMu Nebula: if it detects an installed VirtualBox during installation, '''it will delete it''' :This version runs Android 7.0 Nougat and will refuse to work. Beware!is more suitable for low-end computers
;DuOSMEmu:Not to be confused with a [http://dsAnother closed-duos.blogspot.com/ similarly-named Nintendo DS source Android emulator] by Roor, is a relative newcomer to the Android emulation market, made by American Megatrends i.e. the very same people behind the BIOS/UEFI firmware your PC may be using. Emulation is modest at best, and also with games and apps such as [[DraStic]] struggling on lower-end hardware. And to top it all off, it isn't free eithergood compatibility.
;Google ChromeLDPlayer:Can open Another closed-source Android emulator and also with good compatibility.apk files using the ARC Welder extensionWhen testing games alongside Nox, though their emulation on PC is average at best. Here's a [http:/LDPlayer shows better performance/docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iIbxaftAu_ho5rv9fUlXSLTzwU6MbKOldsWXyrYiyo8/edit#gid=0 compatibility list] and a [https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeapks dedicated subreddit]. Google has announced [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/05/the-play-store-comes-to-chrome-os-but-not-the-way-we-were-expecting/ Play Store for Chrome OS], but it works on a different "container" technology that is embedded in the Chrome OS. In addition, Google will [http://blog.chromium.org/2016/08/from-chrome-apps-to-web.html discontinue Google Chrome apps on PC], so any major updates to ARC Welder for PC is unlikelywith games.
==Hardware features==''These are Android operating system features. This list only includes hardware features that can be possible to emulated through software or will be possible in the near future. Including everything would result in an endless list.''<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;width:100%"|- style="font-weight:bold;Windroy"! colspan=2 | Name! Genymotion[https://docs.genymotion.com/desktop/04_Emulating_sensors_and_features/]! Bluestacks! Google Play Games! Trinity! WSA! Android Studio! [[Recommended_Linux_distros#Android|BlissOS]]! [[Recommended_Linux_distros#Android|Android-x86]]|-| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Android_(operating_system)#Home_screen|Home screen]]<br/><small>This shouldn't be confused with emulator frontend/GUI.</small>| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{?}}<ref group=N4>[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/pg-emulator#navigation Exclusive to developer builds] and [https://old.reddit.com/r/GalaxyTab/comments/mt5ekb/in_android_12_google_is_all_about_tablets_again/ it's looking similar to Android 12 tablet home menu launcher] (Without [https://youtu.be/2KEaPQpfzkQ?t=408 Demonstration]). It's unclear whether this app directly emulates the native home screen or provides an alternative UI/UX with limited features.</ref>| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/touch-and-input/game-controllers Game controllers]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/4405061625485 *]| {{✓}}[https://blog.google/products/google-play/google-play-games-beta-october-2023-update/ *]| {{N}}[https://github.com/TrinityEmulator/TrinityEmulator/issues/3 *]| {{✓}}[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/android/wsa/release-notes#build-22084000040 *]| {{?}}| {{✓}}[https://tested.blissos.org/hardware/inputs/gamepad/ *]| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/touch-and-input/keyboard-input Keyboard input]| {{?}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://youtu.be/2KEaPQpfzkQ?t=153 *]| {{✓}}| {{?}}| {{✓}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/input-mouse Mouse input]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://youtu.be/2KEaPQpfzkQ?t=153 *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/jetpack/compose/touch-input/pointer-input/multi-touch Multi-touch]| {{✓}}[https://docs.genymotion.com/desktop/03_Virtual_devices/#touchscreen]| {{✓}}[https://www.bluestacks.com/multi-touch.html][https://www.bluestacks.com/blog/bluestacks-exclusives/bluestacks-multi-touch-support-en.html]| {{?}}[https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/249633800/lack-of-multi-touch-support-on-play-games-beta?hl=en]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/media/camera/camerax Camera]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{Y}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/usb USB and USB passthrough]| {{✓}}| {{N}}[https://old.reddit.com/r/BlueStacks/comments/z54s8p/usb_devices_in_bluestacks/iy2gtgb/ *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{Y}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/notifications Notifications]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{~}}[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/faq#q_can_we_use_push_notifications_for_google_play_games *]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/android/wsa/release-notes#build-220440000190 *]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-install-add-files Sideloading/Installing]| {{?}}| {{✓}}<ref group=N4>If you'ere using latest version of BlueStacks you' suffixll need to install a file manager to copy game cache when loading your own .apk files, or simply use .xapk containers.</ref>| {{~}}<ref group=N4>Exclusive to developer builds, [https://youtu.be/2KEaPQpfzkQ?t=280 Demonstration]. For using sideloading in the developer builds you need to use adb install "AppName.apk" command in the Command Prompt.</ref>| {{✓}}<ref group=N4>[https://github.com/TrinityEmulator/TrinityEmulator/wiki/Advanced-Usages#adb-connection Use adb to connect] then use adb install command.</ref>| {{~}}[https://github.com/Simizfo/WSATools#requisites *]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/wifi/wifi-scan Wi-Fi]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-wifi *]| {{✓}}| {{✓}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/reference/android/location/Location Location]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{✓}}[https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-extended-controls *]| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/connectivity/bluetooth Bluetooth]| {{?}}| {{N}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360061235612-Bluetooth-support-on-BlueStacks-5 *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{N}}[https://xdaforums.com/t/looking-wsa-for-windows-11-where-bluetooth-also-works.4610551/post-88829045 *]| {{Y}}[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22604305/how-to-use-android-emulator-for-testing-bluetooth-application *]| {{✓}}[https://tested.blissos.org/hardware/connectivity/bluetooth/ *]| {{?}}|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/sensors-and-location/sensors/sensors_motion Motion sensors]| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058638032-Advanced-settings-for-key-controls-in-BlueStacks-5-#%E2%80%9C9%E2%80%9D *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-extended-controls *]| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| rowspan=2 | Connectivity| [[Preservation_projects#Private_Platform_Servers|Google Play Games]]<br/>[[Preservation_projects#Private_Platform_Servers|Google Play Services]]<br/><small>Achievements, Challenges, Leaderboards etc.</small>| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059697231-How-to-log-in-to-Google-Play-Store-on-BlueStacks-5 *]| {{Y}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{✓}}| {{?}}| {{?}}[https://groups.google.com/g/android-x86/c/BGVX_bwpibA *]|-| [[Wikipedia:Google_Cloud_Messaging|Google Cloud Messaging (GCM)]]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-! colspan=9 | [[Wikipedia:Android_version_history|OS version]]|-| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Android_version_history#Android_4.4_KitKat|KitKat]] (API 19)<br/><small>Supporting [[Wikipedia:Android_version_history#Android_4.4_KitKat|Android 4.4 (KitKat) ]] is a fast crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.<br/> Older applications and games often rely on the "[[Wikipedia:Dalvik_(software)|Dalvik]]", which isn't present in newer versions and there could be '''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141215220606/http://www.androidruntime.com:80/list compatibility issues]'''.<br/>Android 5.0 (Lollipop)(API 21) introduced the "[[Wikipedia:Android_Runtime|Android emulator RunTime]]" (ART), [[Wikipedia:Android_Runtime#History|replacing "Dalvik" entirely]].<br/>Having said that does ART is mostly backwards compatible with Dalvik. See these sources for more information: [https://xdaforums.com/t/explained-art-runtime-in-android-4-4-kitkat.2622098/ 1], [https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-dalvik-and-art-in-android/ 2], [https://developer.android.com/guide/practices/verifying-apps-art 3].</small>| {{N}}<ref group=N4 name=GenymotionOSsupport>[https://support.genymotion.com/hc/en-us/articles/9511224511901-Which-Android-versions-are-available Genymotion: Which Android versions are available?], Since September 2022, Genymotion no longer provide Android 4.4 and below images, see[https://support.genymotion.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002708018-I-can-t-find-Android-4-4-and-below this page].</ref>| {{N}}<ref group=N4>You need to use [[Wikipedia:BlueStacks#BlueStacks_3|BlueStacks 3 version]] (not rely 3N), because it is the latest version supports KitKat.</ref>| {{N}}| {{N}}| {{N}}| {{Y}}| {{N}}<ref group=N4 name=BlissOSsupport>[https://blissos.org/index.html#download BlissOS OS support].</ref>| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=Androidx86OSsupport>KitKat and Nougat supported with [https://sourceforge.net/projects/android-x86/files/ Android-x86].</ref>|-| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Android_version_history#Android_7.1_Nougat|7.1 Nougat]] (API 25)<br/><small>New JIT Compiler, making for 75 percent faster app installations and a 50 percent reduction in compiled code size.<br/>JIT compiler with code profiling to ART, which lets it constantly improve the performance of Android apps as they run.<br/>Vulkan 3D rendering API support.</small>| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=GenymotionOSsupport></ref>| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BluestacksOSsupport>[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058931031-How-to-utilize-the-different-Android-versions-available-on-BlueStacks-5#%E2%80%9C1%E2%80%9D Which Android versions are available on VirtualBox or any similar technologyBlueStacks?].</ref>| {{N}}| {{N}}| {{N}}| {{Y}}| {{N}}<ref group=N4 name=BlissOSsupport></ref>| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=Androidx86OSsupport></ref>|-| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Android_version_history#Android_12|Snow Cone]] (API 31)<br/><small>Android Runtime (ART) module added to the updatable core OS components via Google Play, added functionality to existing modules. </small>| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=GenymotionOSsupport></ref>| {{N}}<ref group=N4 name=BluestacksOSsupport></ref>| {{Y}}| {{N}}<abbr title="It uses android-x86 9.0 64bit">*</abbr>| {{N}}| {{Y}}| {{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BlissOSsupport></ref>| {{N}}<ref group=N4 name=Androidx86OSsupport></ref>|-! colspan=10 | [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis Supported ABIs]|-| colspan=2 | [https://web.archive.org/web/20180507120451/https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis#sa armeabi]| colspan=8 | armeabi and MIPS support deprecated in [[Compatibility layer|libndk translation layer]] version r16 and [https://android.googlesource.com/platform/ndk/+/master/docs/Roadmap.md#ndk-r17 removed in r17].<br/>But [[Compatibility layer|libhoudini translation layer]] still supports it?|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis#v7a armeabi-v7a]<br/><small>Supporting armeabi-v7a ABI is crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.<br/> Older applications and games often rely on the [[Wikipedia:ARM_architecture_family|ARM 32-bit (Cortex)]] architecture, which isn't accurate thoughused in newer hardware.</small>|?|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BlueStacksABI>[https://support.bluestacks. While com/hc/en-us/articles/360058929011-What-is-Application-Binary-Interface-ABI-in-BlueStacks-5 What is Application Binary Interface (ABI) in BlueStacks 5 ]</ref>|?|?|?|{{Y}}|?|?|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis#arm64-v8a arm64-v8a]|?|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BlueStacksABI></ref>|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=GooglePlayGamesABI>[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/start#playbility-architecture Google Play store can be installed with some tinkering, not many Games ABI Architecture support].</ref>|?|?|{{Y}}|?|?|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis#x86 x86]|?|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BlueStacksABI></ref>|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=GooglePlayGamesABI></ref>|?|?|{{Y}}|?|?|-| colspan=2 | [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/abis#86-64 x86_64]|?|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=BlueStacksABI></ref>|{{Y}}<ref group=N4 name=GooglePlayGamesABI></ref>|{{Y}}|?|{{Y}}[https://developer.android.com/games can be installed (/optimize/64-bit#64-bit-emulator *]|?|?|-! colspan=10 | [https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/graphics/opengl/about-opengl Supported APIs]|-| colspan=2 | [https://registry.khronos.org/OpenGL/index_es.php#specs11 OpenGL ES 1.x]<br/><small>Supporting OpenGL ES 1.x is crucial for emulators due to not faking device names) compatibility and will spawn multiple harmless[[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.</small>|?|?|?|?|?|{{Y}}|?|?|-yet-annoying app_process| colspan=2 | [https://registry.khronos.org/OpenGL/index_es.exe crashesphp#specs31 OpenGL ES 3. x]<br/><small>The official site OpenGL ES 3.x APIs is backwards-compatible with the 2.x APIs which is down since July 2016, so any updates crucial for emulators due to compatibility and [[Preservation_projects|preservation]] reasons.</small>|?|?|?|{{Y}}[https://youtu.be/tfq4MsxaHZw?t=923 *]|?|{{Y}}|?|?|-| colspan=2 | [https://registry.khronos.org/vulkan/#apispecs Vulkan 1.3]<br/><small>See [https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/graphics/android-baseline-profile Android Baseline 2022 profile] and also see [https://source.android.com/docs/core/graphics/implement-vulkan#versions Vulkan API versions for several Android releases].<br/>Vulkan releases are unlikelybackward compatible with each other.|?|?|?|?|?|?|?|?|}</div><references group=N4/>
==Enhancements==<div style="overflow-x:auto;Windroyewidth:100%">{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;width:100%"|- style="font-weight:bold;"! colspan=2 | Name! Genymotion! Bluestacks! Google Play Games! Trinity! WSA! Android Studio! [[Recommended_linux_distros#Emulation_focused|BlissOS]]! [[Recommended_linux_distros#Emulation_focused|Android-x86]]|-|rowspan=6 | Post-Processing| [[Shader_Presets|Shader Chain]]| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [[Shaders_and_filters|Filters]]| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{~}}<ref group=N3>Android Studio emulator [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/managing-avds#skins supports lots of device frame and custom skin] (similar to libretro overlay/bezels). You can get additional skins from various sources (With the e.g. [https://github.com/mingchen/android-emulator-skins mingchen'es Android Emulator Skins], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/android-emulator-skins/files/ CREAL' suffixs AVD skins]) uses VirtualBox, but still offers better performance than also you can use buttons on these device frames.</ref>| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-|[[Shaders_and_filters#AI-powered filters|AI-powered filter compatible]]<br/><small>([https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/gfecnt/nvidia-freestyle-ansel-enhancements-geforce-experience-article/ Freestyle])</small>| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| [[Wikipedia:Category:Anti-aliasing_algorithms|Post-rendering AA]]<br/><small>(FXAA, TXAA and MLAA/SMAA)</small>| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [[Wikipedia:Comparison_gallery_of_image_scaling_algorithms|Post-rendering scaling]]<br/><small>(Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and [[Wikipedia:GPUOpen#FidelityFX_Super_Resolution|FSR 1]])</small>| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-|[[High_dynamic_range#Inverse_tone_mapping|Inverse tone mapping compatible]]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| rowspan=5 | [https://tasvideos.org/Emulatorresources/Features TAS features]| [[Wikipedia:Macro_(computer_science)|Macros/Scripts]]/[https://tasvideos.org/LuaScripting Lua]| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://www.bluestacks.com/features/macros.html *]| {{?}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Rewind| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Savestates| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| [https://tasvideos.org/Movies Movie recording/playback]| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| rowspan=10 | Quality of life| [[Save_disk_space_for_ISOs#PlayStation_1|Streamable compression format]]| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| Per-Game Profiles| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055522292-How-to-use-the-Game-controls-menu-on-BlueStacks-5 *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Command Line Options| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://old.reddit. The Play Store com/r/BlueStacks/comments/163yg7p/command_line_options/ *]| {{?}}| {{Y}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| On-Screen Display<br/><small>Showcases messages, controller input state which is installed by default useful for speedrunners, performance data, active settings, and has no stability issues found various notifications.</small>| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Built-in WindroyOn-Screen Control<br/><small>Simulating touch input on display via keyboard or gamepad. This QoL enhancement is crucial for lots of touch input exclusive games. <br/>Also you can use third party apps such as [https://wwwgithub.com/Shyri/TouchMapper TouchMapper] for this.</small>| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058928871 *]| {{?}}| {{N}}| {{?}}[https://old.reddit.com/r/ClashOfClansWSA/comments/31lklrz62m2v/how_do_i_remap_key_to_screen_presses_for_gaming/ *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| [[Compatibility_layer|Built-in translation layer]]| {{✗}}<ref group=N3>You need to manually install libhoudini translation layer on guest system for Genymotion. See [[Compatibility layer]] page.</ref>| {{✓}}| {{✓}}[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/start#playbility-architecture *]| {{✓}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{Y}}<ref group=N3>BlissOS supports out-of-package translation layer [https://blissos.org/ (See 'Bliss OS Variations->Native-bridge' section)]. Also see [https://docs.blissos.org/knowledgebase/frequently-asked-questions/hardware-compatibility this page].</ref>| {{~}}<ref group=N3>libhoudini is not bundled with Android-x86, there's a script under /system/bin named "enable_houdini" which tries to download it and install from two different urls. So, if these sources are offline, manual installation is necessary. See [https://groups.google.com/g/android-x86/c/tXyfFZ7xeTw this page] for more information.</ref>|-| [[Hypervisors|Built-in VM]]| {{~}}<ref group=N3>Exclusive to "with VirtualBox" builds.</ref>| {{Y}}<br/><small>Multiple<ref group=N3>BlueStacks uses QEMU (before v2.5), VirtualBox (after v2.5). Also as mentioned in "Before diving in" section, BlueStacks '''supports''' Hyper-V if you are using BlueStacks v4 Hyper-V builds or v5.20+ versions.</ref>| {{Y}}<br/><small>Hyper-V</small>| {{Y}}<br/><small>[https://github.com/TrinityEmulator/TrinityEmulator#4-code-organization QEMU 5.0]<ref group=N3>Also supports Hyper-V and obsolete HAXM for hardware acceleration.</ref>| {{Y}}<br/><small>Hyper-V</small>| {{Y}}<br/><small>[https://developer.android.com/studio/intro/update#recommended QEMU]<ref group=N3>Also supports [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-acceleration#vm-windows-aehd AEHD], [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-acceleration#choose-windows-hypervisor WHPX for Windows] and [https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-acceleration#vm-linux KVM for Linux] for hardware acceleration.</ref></small>| {{✗}}| {{✗}}|-| File Sharing<br/><small>Similar to "Shared Folder" enhancement for [[Hypervisors#Type_2_hypervisors|Type-2 hypervisors]].</small>| {{?}}| {{~}}<ref group=N3>Only for media type files, it supports [https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055684992-How-to-use-the-Media-Manager-on-BlueStacks-5 media file sharing via Media Manager].</ref>| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Big Picture Mode| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{N}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Multiple instances and instance manager| {{?}}| {{Y}}[https://www.bluestacks.com/features/multi-instance.html 1][https://misc_windroye_for_pcfaster_than_bluestacks_262_mbsupport.bluestacks.com/ A related Reddit topic can hc/en-us/articles/360052834092-How-to-create-and-manage-instances-using-the-Multi-instance-Manager-on-BlueStacks-5 2]| {{N}}[https://youtu.be found here/2KEaPQpfzkQ?t=422 *]| {{N}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| rowspan=2 | Misc| [[Wikipedia:Variable_refresh_rate|Variable Refresh Rate compatible]]| {{?}}| {{N}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|-| Debug features</br><small>adb support, [https://developer.android.com/agi AGI support], integration with IDE etc.</small>| {{?}}| {{~}}[https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053245871-How-to-use-the-BlueStacks-5-Settings-menu#%E2%80%9C6%E2%80%9D *]| {{Y}}[https://developer.android.com/games/playgames/pg-emulator *]| {{?}}| {{?}}| {{Y}}| {{?}}| {{?}}|}</div><references group=N3/>
;Android x86==PlayStation Mobile==:An open-source project that aims to port the Android operating system to x86-based netbooks. Comes with Google Play and libhoudini (x86/ARM translation layer) installed. 3D acceleration works well both when installed directly on the machine as a local OS and also on VMware. VMware Player 15 supports emulating OpenGL ES 3 on the target and performance is quite good. VirtualBox 3d support is poor and probably won't work. Android x86 is continually being improved and can be tried fairly painlessly through VMware. Genymotion is (or at least used to be) a closed-source fork of Android x86, designed exclusively to be run on VirtualBox.{{Main|PlayStation_Mobile}}
;Anbox==Android consoles==:A project that aims Because it's possible to run fork and create your own Android-based OS, many developers have used Android applications on Ubuntu distributionsto power their own commercial consoles. CurrentlyHowever, as mentioned before, just because it is on alpha state and only known to uses Android as a base does not mean they will all work correctly on Ubuntu 16.04. Anbox requires custom kernel modules to run because unlike other emulators which emulate a standard Android emulator, as they may require specific hardware setup, extra non-standard APIs or frameworks provided by the OS of the whole Linux kernelconsole, this one uses or extra authentication that relies on the services bundled with the host system's Linux kernel directlyconsole.
;Shashlik'''Note:A project by KDE that aims [[Smart_TV_emulators|Smart TVs and smart TV boxes/digital media players/media boxes]] (e.g. ChromeCast with Google TV, Amazon Fire TV) are not consoles, despite some of them are able to run video games. The distinction is simple: If a device is not designed with gaming as its sole or main purpose, then it's not an Android applications on Linux using KDE5 console. Please do not add [[Home_Media_Player|Home media players]] or general Android devices that can play video games, such as [[Smart_TV_emulators|Smart TVs and Qt5 technologysmart TV boxes/digital media players/media boxes]] etc. The project to this section.'''<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"! scope="col"|Name! scope="col"|[[MAME]] support! scope="col"|ROMs! scope="col"|Description|-|Atlantis Land Kora|None|None||-|[https://www.clementoni.com/it-en/16612-clemstation-60/ Clemstation 6.0]|None|None|Released in 2018 by Clementoni, the Clemstation is infancy state and a "multimedia educational console" only known sold in Italy that appears to run be on latest Kubuntu versionsa running custom version of Android. It currently lacks ARM processor emulationBecause it's still being sold, it's unknown how games will be made for it and when it will be discontinued. Information on how many units have been sold so far has not many been released to the public. |-|Diyomate X18|None|None||-|flarePlay|None|None||-|Fuze Tomahawk F1|None|None|A Chinese console with Nvidia Tegra SoC, similar to Nvidia Shield. Has some heavy-hitting exclusive Android titles such as ''Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1'' and ''Dynasty Warriors 8'', but eventually flopped.|-|GPD Mars Gamebox|None|None||-|[[XD/XD+|GPD XD / XD+]]|None|None|A foldable handheld console manufactured by Gamepad Digital (GPD).|-|LeapFrog Epic|None|None||-|LC Smart Pandora TV Box|None|None||-|Lexibook LexiBox TV|None|None||-|Lexibook Playdroid|None|None||-|Mad Catz Mojo|None|None||-|MeLE X8|None|None||-|My Clem Box|None|None|Released in 2018 by Italian toy company Clementoni and sold exclusively in Italy, My Clem Box is an educational console with Wii-like motion controls. Because it's still being sold, it's unknown how games will runbe made for it and when it will be discontinued. It is however known Information on how many units have been sold so far has not been released to play the public. |-|[https://www.youtubetakaratomy.co.comjp/products/watch?v=9SC6c_ih_Ac Flappy Birdzukanneopad NEO Consoles] |None|None|Released in 2017 by Takara Tomy. The NEO Series are educational consoles only sold in Japan and can show appear to use a custom version of Android. Because it's still being sold, it's unknown how games will be made for it and when it will be discontinued. Information on how many units have been sold so far has not been released to the public. |-|Nvidia Shield TV|None|None|A console/media box hybrid manufactured by Nvidia. Has a lot of heavy-hitting titles such as ''Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance'', ''Doom 3'', ''Half-Life 2'', etc.|-|[[Ouya emulators|Ouya]]|None|[https://wwwarchive.youtube.comorg/details/watchouyalibrary?v&sort=ju_R8ftiIp4 Spotify's login screen-downloads&page=2 Yes]|A failed microconsole that started from a Kickstarter project. The controller sucks and the games can be found elsewhere. Since the Ouya runs on Android, emulation is technically possible by extracting menu/application APK files and running them in an Android emulator or VM. It uses modified [[QEMU]] to emulate |-|PlayJam GameStick|None|None|A tiny console the size of a USB thumb drive. |-|Razer Forge TV|None|None||-|Phoenix One|None|None|A console/desktop computer hybrid, equipped with Qualcomm 660 SoC, running PhoenixOS which is an Android operating distro designed for desktop computers. Has a "computer mode" that enables multi-window multitasking and system-wide file manager integration, such as copying & pasting files.|-|Razer Forge TV|None|None||-|miniStation|None|None|A console designed by Tencent and manufactured by multiple manufacturers such as Lenovo and Skyworth. Last major update was March 2016 Designed to run cellphone games and seems abandonedsimple emulators.|-|Snail Games OBox|None|None||-|Soomax Sensory (享动体感游戏机)|None|None||-|TCL T2|None|None||-|UIS Xtreamer Multi-Console|None|None||-|UTStarcom DanDan (蛋蛋)|None|None||-|ZTE FunBox|None|None||-|}</div>
;Xamarin Android Player
:A newcomer to the Android emulation market. Not much is known about this because it required a minimum of $25/month subscription of main Xamarin products. The main Xamarin products were [https://blog.xamarin.com/xamarin-for-all made available for free] after the purchase by Microsoft, but Xamarin Android Player was discontinued.
;Project Astoria:A Microsoft-developed ==GM Android emulator for Windows 10 Mobile included in several insider previews. It could run [https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsphone/comments/3gaoct/android_apps_that_work_on_win10_right_now/ a few applications], though apps required Google Play Services did not run or had issues. This project was reportedly [http://www.windowscentral.com/microsofts-project-astoria-delayed discontinued] based==Some General Motors cars are equipped with an in November 2015 and [http://www.winbeta.org/news/microsoft-confirms-the-death-of-project-astoria-focusing-car entertainment system running on-other-bridges-instead its cancellation was confirmed] on February 2016, so the emulator is not included in more recent versions of Windows 10 MobileAndroid.
==General Emulation issues=====Lack of Release Notes and Update History information===While some emulators such as Genymotion do have version history on their website, most other emulators do not have such history pages, making it difficult to track updates as well as regressions[https://developer.gm.com/app-gallery App Gallery].
==Emulation issues=Emulator Conflict====Google apps===Many emulatorsAndroid is open-source, such as Droid4x, Andyroid, Genymotionbut the Google Play Store has to be licensed from Google in order to incorporate it into a build, including Play Services and Xamarin cannot co-exist on the same machine because they will uninstall each many otherGoogle apps. This That often means developers pay a fee that can be trickle back to the user in some form (either through adware, privacy-invading trackers, or by selling the emulator as a problem if one game runs only commercial product). Custom ROMs for real Android devices on one of these emulators Android 4 and earlier used to bundle the Google Play Store, but this changed with newer versions. The new method is to install a custom ROM and then install "GApps" through another service like [https://opengapps.org/ the other games do not work on itOpen GApps Project].
===Google-related LibrariesArchitectural differences===Likely due to licensing issuesMany games often optimize and compile specifically for ARM processors, which prevents them from being executable on x86 CPUs, most even when using a project like Android -x86. Some emulators do not come with Google-related applications and related libraries preinstalled (Google Play Store, Play Serviceslike BlueStacks, have ARM translation layer by default; in others, Play Games clientlike Genymotion, etc) and requires the user it is possible to install an ARM translation layer manually install them. Many games verify the existence of GoogleSee [[#Hardware features]] supported ABI section and [[#Enhancements]] built-related components at the start and refuse to work if some or any of them are missingin translation layer section for more information.
===ARM ApplicationsConflict===Most commercial games are developed and published only Many emulators like to uninstall each other for devices with ARM CPUs such as most smartphones and tabletssome reason. HoweverDroid4x, Andyroid, Genymotion, and Xamarin cannot co-exist on the PCs we regularly use contain x86 CPUssame machine without modifying their installers, so which can be a problem if one game works on only one of these emulators but other games cannot directly rundo not. Some Also keep in mind that you should turn off Hyper-V windows feature if [[Hypervisors|Type-2 hypervisor]] used for emulator backend due to [[Hypervisors#Hyper-V_feature_conflict_issue|conflict issue]], although some emulators like BlueStacks have ARM emulation by default, and in some others like Genymotion, it is possible to install ARM emulator manually. The ARM emulator requires Intel CPUs to work correctly and not guaranteed to work with all gamesprovide special Hyper-V build for this.
===Games with root/Custom ROMs/Emulator DetectionAntitamper protection===Many commercial In order to reduce cheating, many games refuse to run if they discover that the device is "has been rooted" (hacked to allow access to the deep portion of Android OS) in order to reduce cheating and pirating. If the emulator is comes rooted by default, it must be manually unrooted manually before the game can be played. The rooting method for modern devices is Magisk, which installs itself in the bootloader instead of the system partition, which makes it harder to detect.
Some games are very take more aggressive that they measures to detect the presence of Custom ROMs (unofficial firmware) or Android emulators (like the ones listed in on this page) by the in a variety of ways like , such as checking for the existence and or absence of system files in order to prevent the game from running in any unauthorized unverified environments. These games are very difficult or plain impossible to play on emulators without resorting to cracked versions of the games. Solutions exist, like using MagiskSU (bundled with the Magisk flashable zip) and hiding root on anything Google Play related or installed apps that check for it.
===Android-based Operating Systems===There are many [[wikipedia:Fork_(software_development)|forks]] of Android; some of these go beyond a custom UI and are instead entirely new OSes that use the Android code in addition to writing their own code, such as Amazon's Fire OS; in some cases these come as compatibility layers on top of an otherwise unrelated OS, such as Windows Subsystem for Android. Depending on how much (and what) new code, features, and APIs were added, will determine the effects they will have on Android emulation but if one thing is for sure, these forks are (most likely) going to cause some emulation issues. ===Emulator Specific Issues=======BlueStacks====
* '''Can't root the device:'''
Close the application, and open the "output" folder in the same directory as the extracted application. You should find a newly generated "Root.fs" file. You can use it to replace the existing one under "%programdata%\BlueStacks\Android" (Press Windows+R and go there), but it's recommended to keep a backup of the original in case the new one causes Bluestacks to hang in the loading screen for more than a few minutes.
The package also includes Nova Explorer and Root Launcher. You may verify the rooting status with the "Root Checker" app from Google Play. Considering some apps check for Google Play services for online checks, you can also install "Modded Google Play Store", "[https://www.luckypatchers.com/ Lucky Patcher]" and "Magisk".
====Andyroid====
* '''Unable To Launch VM Process:'''
On the taskbar, right-click Andyroid's notification icon, and choose Settings, Advanced, Set Andy Protocol. Type "tcp" and confirm, then launch Andyroid.
====Android-x86====
* '''3D Support is broken on VMWare when using newer kernels:'''
Pass in a kernel option to grub when booting. Select the boot entry and then press 'e' to edit it, and then 'e' to edit again. Add the kernel option here. For example, to use a video resolution of 1920x1080, add 'video=1920x1080'. Press return to save the changes (for this boot session only), and 'b' to boot (the keys to edit and boot may be different depending on your grub version, there are usually instructions on the grub screen for the requisite keys)
====KMRE====
* '''Installing third-party apks'''
Installing third-party apks requires a dedicated installer <code>kmre-apk-installer</code>. It could be acquired by command <code>sudo apt update && sudo apt install kmre-apk-installer</code>.
 
Notice that KMRE is still not designed with third-party apps in mind. Installing third-party apps may result in abnormal behaviors of KMRE such as unable to start & stop itself on demand due to clogged-up background processes of third-party apps.
 
Installing apks inside KMRE is specifically filtered out unless the application running is upgrading itself.
 
* '''Receiving a notice that the mobile environment is not running while trying to install third-party apps'''
Go to app store - mobile apps to trigger the startup process of KMRE. You can see a startup notice in the bottom right corner on the desktop while it's starting up.
 
* '''Accessing Android system settings'''
Execute command <code>startapp com.android.settings</code> in the terminal. Notice that changing system settings is very likely to break KMRE.
* '''Accessing files of Android'''
Files in <code>/storage/emulated/0</code> are mapped to <code>/var/lib/kmre/data/kmre-1000-${LOGNAME}</code>.
 
'''Notice that this path contains a hard link to <code>/home</code>. KMRE will filter out file deletion, but not creation and modification. Improper file management in Android could result in data loss in host machine.'''
 
As KMRE is not really an emulator/hypervisor, the <code>/</code> and other paths such as <code>/sys</code> on Android doesn't have mappings, but some paths are mapped to <code>/var/lib/kmre/kmre-1000-${LOGNAME}</code>.
==See also==
*[[Cellphone emulators]] - info Information on emulators for various feature phone/non-smartphone platforms.* [[Emulators on Android]] - Various emulators on Android OS ==External links==*[[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_mobile_operating_systems|Comparison of mobile operating systems]]*[[Wikipedia:Android_version_history|Android version history]], [https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/baselineprofiles/overview Android Baseline profiles]*[https://developer.android.com/ Android Developer]*[https://xdaforums.com/t/list-of-devices-armv7-armv6-armv5.1596800/ XDAForums - List of devices: ARMv7, ARMv6, ARMv5]*[[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_high-definition_smartphone_displays#720p_by_1280_.28HD_ready.29|Early Android devices with OLED and HD Ready display]]
[[Category:ConsolesMobiles|*][[Category:Android-based|*]][[Category:Android emulators|*]][[Category:Operating systems|*]][[Category:Mobile Operating Systems|*]][[Category:Various Emulation]]---- {{NEL}}==Notes==<references group=N />
10,932
edits

Navigation menu