Android is the most popular operating system in the world today on smartphones, installed on every cellphone that is not iPhone and is not Windows Phone.Android is a Google open source system based on Linux (Android is not a Linux distribution), not designed for PCs, not designed for devices that do not have a touchscreen, but, due to its nature as a free system, still exploited for a multitude of experiments, such as HDMI sticks for TVs and versions Android X86 for mini netbook laptops.
Thanks to its versatility, they are also born virtualization programs to bring Android to normal computers or rather, the apps from the Android store.
In this article we collect all ways to install Android or Android apps on a Windows PCin an easy and free way, as if it were a normal program to be opened within Windows.
Phoenix OS to have Android on your computeran updated operating system that can be installed on any computer as described in the dedicated guide.
Prime OS to use Android on PCan updated operating system that can be used as a live operating system on a USB key on any computer as described in the dedicated guide.
Bluestacks is the best program to install Android apps on PC, which works on Windows and Mac, already explained in another article. Bluestacks is a virtualization program that allows you to open the Android home screen in a window and to run various applications. You can then use Whatsapp on your PC, Skype as an app and above all you can have all your favorite games on your PC monitor, to play comfortably without wasting battery on your phone.
Nox App Player emulator optimized for Android games on PCthe best if the goal is to play and configure the various controls by simulating the touch on the screen via the computer keyboard.
Install Android apps on Chrome. We have already talked about this too. Google itself promotes this procedure to have Android apps on every PC, including its Chromebook computers. In this case it is just a matter of installing an extension and then loading the chosen application in the form of an APK file. Another article explains how to download APK files for Android apps.
Visual Studio emulator for Android is theMicrosoft’s Android emulator for Windows 8 and Windows 10 PCs, which allows you to test an Android smartphone or tablet on your PC and also to install applications. The Google Play Store is not supported, but apps can be installed with apk files.
An excellent Android emulator of the latest version that simulates the screen of a tablet or smartphone on the computer Genymotion on Windows, Mac and Linux, which can also be used in a free version.
Then install Genparmi on your computer and let Virtualbox, the program for virtualizing operating systems, also be installed. Once the installation is complete, start Genparmi and let the wizard go on by clicking on the Yes button when prompted. Then connect with the username and password of the account created and choose the version of Android to download from the list.
After downloading the virtualization package, click Fine and then, from the Genparmi console, select it and press Play. After a short wait for the initialization, the main Android screen will appear, with a bar of buttons on the side that are used to control the system.
Once you open virtualized Android on your PC, it will be like using a normal smartphone, on which you can install applications, games and all the functions. The only problem is that you have to then install the Google Play Store and the Google Apps which are not included.
Andyroid is an emulation program for Windows very similar to Bluestacks, but completely free, which allows you to use apps on your PC as if they were normal programs. On the site you can download compatible applications and games directly, without having to search for them yourself. With this program the apps are also able to send desktop notifications thus becoming real programs integrated into Windows, to use apps such as Whatsapp or Skype or other Messenger that would be usable only from mobile phones.
Memu Play is a great easy to install choice that works as an Android emulator on Windows. The best compelling part of this program is the on-screen keyboard and the support for APK files which allows you to have an Android app performer directly on your PC. Also you can play Android games at full screen resolution.
Windroy able to emulate Android on Windows. Pressing the home button opens the list of all installed applications and widgets. Pre-installed applications include browser, calculator, calendar, gallery, settings. Even if the Google applications are not there and therefore the Google Play store is missing, you can still install new apps by downloading the apk files and moving them to the WindowsAndroid installation folder.
The official Google Android Studio emulatorsimple and perfect not only to allow developers to try their applications on Android before running them on mobile, but also usable to have the latest Android version on PC.