Who says you need an Android device to run Android apps? Well, here is a guide which would let you run Android apps on computer. Yes, we would be using Android Emulator which is compatible on both Windows and Mac, letting you use Android apps on Windows and Mac.
The best part about this tutorial is that it would not restrict you from using any sort of apps. It implies, once you are done with the setup, you are good run any Android app that you want.
Step By Step Guide To Run Android Apps On Computer – Windows And Mac
Things you need to get this thing going:
- Obviously a computer, running on Windows or Mac
- Android Emulator which actually comes with Android SDK
I actually came across this emulator while I was trying to run WhatsApp on my computer and it worked absolutely fine. Here are the steps:
- First, you need to install the Android SDK and Emulator that you have downloaded above
- To do that, run the executable file that you have downloaded and when it asks you to mention the path, make sure that you do not use ” ” space. Implies, use paths like, C:\Android or C:\abcdefg
- Once you are done, it would automatically launch the program and if it does not, launch it manually. You can find it by navigating as Start > Programs > Android SDK Tools > SDK Manager
- This SDK Manager will actually let you install the version of Android SDK you want. Yes, it actually creates the virtual Android environment that is needed to run Android apps
- Since you are good with it so far, its time to create virtual Android device
- Launch the SDK manager the and click on the Virtual Devices button on the left panel and then click on the New button
- This will launch another window which will let you do some settings for the Virtual Android Device you want to create
- Fill in the details as required, Name – name that you want to give to your Virtual Android Device, Target – Mention the version you want to have, Size – Size of the storage memory, Skin and other parameters
- Once you are done with all the customization, click on the Create AVD button
- Once it builds your AVD, click on it and then click on the Start button
- This is launch the Android Virtual Device on your computer
Now, you can use this interface the way you use Android. Just launch its browser and download the apps to use it on your computer. This is how you can use / run Android apps on your computer, both Windows and Mac.