Android is the most popular mobile operating system, but its mainly designed for mobile phones. That doesn’t mean it can’t run on desktops. You could be a mobile developer who wants to test apps or you could be the one who wants to play games on a big screen. However, there are many ways to install android on a PC and each method has its pros and cons depending on your needs.
Using Third-Party Apps
This is the most easy and convenient way for those who want to just test apps or play games on a big screen. Apps like Nox Player, Bluestacks, Memu are among the best apps to try android on your PC. These apps give you the safest and easiest way to install Android on PC. Installing these apps is like installing any regular software on your PC.
These apps do not replace your entire operating system. Instead, these apps, run Android apps within a window in your operating system. This will allow you to use an android app like any other app on your computer. All these apps support the Google Play store this makes it easy for you to install any android app.
These apps have special key arrangements for on-screen controls in games. As you configure keys for onscreen controls you can play games using your keyboard. Out of these, I prefer Nox Player as it’s fast and easy to configure. When I tested Bluestacks was laggy and Memu has a lot of bugs as reported by many users. This makes Nox Player a better choice.
You can download Nox Player from here, Bluestacks from here. Memu from here.
Using Android Studio and Genymotion
If you are a developer and trying to test apps. This is the best way for developers as you will be able to configure your environment like screen resolution and screen sizes. Google Android Virtual Device Manager comes with Android Studio and Genymotion are two major virtual emulators widely used. This gives you original android experience on your PC. And gives you the option to choose between various screen sizes and screen resolutions.
These are fast to use and can be configured according to developer needs. Genymotion does not come pre-installed with Google Play Store and Google Play Services. But you can easily install click here to know more about how to install google play services. Also if you never plan to develop apps having Android Studio consuming space on your computer might be inconvenient. So it’s better to choose Genymotion. This method will run on Windows, OS X or Linux without any issues and will let you easily install android on PC.
You can download Genymotion From here and Android Studio from here.
Android-x86.org
Android x86 is an unofficial initiative to port Android to devices such as computers and laptops. This operating system is designed like a normal Linux distribution. This gives you the power to run android apps as well as can also be used as a standalone operating system. Android x86 gives you stock experience and comes pre-installed with Google Play services.
This is one of the best ways to get stock Android experience on a computer. As Android X86 comes with the latest Android, at the time of writing this article it’s based on Android 8 Oreo and Android 9 Pie is in works. Installing Android x86 is a little bit involved than other options as it’s like installing a different OS. You can install Android x86 in dual boot with Windows or in Virtual Box.
official guide to complete installation options for Android-x86 can be found here.
Phoenix Os
Phoenix Os is based on Android 7.0 Nougat its gives complete desktop Os user experience. It has features like start menu, taskbar, Multi-window support. Phoenix OS is designed to give you both a desktop experience as well as the support of android apps on a single operating system. This OS also supports features such as resize of app screens and minimise.
This OS can be great when you want a full-featured desktop OS to look but with the support of android apps. Phoenix OS also supports key mapping features that help in playing games created for touch screen using a keyboard.
To download and install Phoneix Os refer to this official Phoenix Os guide
Bliss OS
Bliss OS is an open-source operating system designed as a stand-alone operating system. It’s designed as a complete desktop operating system with the support of android apps. Bliss OS is a multitasking workhorse and comes preinstalled with google play services. This helps as you can access all your apps directly from the playstore.
There is an installer package that you can use to dual boot Bliss OS alongside Windows or Linux. Bliss OS is also a lot stable OS although there are few crashes but that will not affect you much. This can give you a full OS experience and let you install android on PC in dual boot or in virtual box.
You can download bliss OS x86 from this page.
To Wrap It Up
Running android on PC is a lot easy nowadays. If you don’t want to install Android alongside your Windows or Linux OS, using the Nox player is the best option and it can be easily installed with just a few clicks. And if you ready to try