Being able to play our favorite Android apps on PC would mean wonders for most of us android users. The agility of PC gaming applied to Android games means new gaming records to tease our friends and leaving them curious.
That being said, is it possible to run Android apps on Windows? Yes.
Is it free? Yes, most of it.
Does it work out of the box?
Well this question can’t be answered clearly since many Android ports for Windows are reported to be buggy or not up to the mark, plus some solutions are paid. There is no official support for running Android apps on Windows but many unofficial solutions are there to support your Android apps craze on Windows.
What are some Android on Windows options available?
1. BlueStack
BlueStacks is designed to run Android apps, especially games, on Windows using optimized virtualization software with enhancements to get the most out of the hardware virtualization support. It runs the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and provides an easy way to download apps from the Google Play Store. It is free to download and supports loads of android apps. Everything that you need to configure is easy. You might find the controls a bit difficult at the beginning but that won’t matter for long.
Download: http://www.bluestacks.com/bstk-download-success-2.htm
Android version: 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
App Store: Google Play Store
Latest release: 0.8.8, 13 April 2014
2. Windroy
Image courtesy: pcworld.com
Windroy is another Android emulator capable of running on Windows. It runs the Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich but doesn’t allow you to download apps through Google Play Store. A workaround for it is that you can easily install the apks using androiddrawer.com (an unofficial Google Play Store like site).
Download: Windroy
Android version: 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
App Store: No, thru Androiddrawer.com
Latest release: 13 January 2014
3. Geny Motion
Geny Motion is an Android emulator for developers but you may use it to fulfill your Android gaming fetish. It is easy to install and setup. You simply have to download and Install Geny Motion. There are plenty of readymade ROMs to choose from so you might be able to install the latest android versions too. You can use the Google Play Store to download and run your favorite apps.
Download: https://shop.genymotion.com/index.php?controller=order-opc
Android version: 4.3 Jelly Bean, 4.4 Kit Kat
App Store: Google Play Store
Latest release: 2.2.0, 31 March 2014
4. YouWave (Non-free)
YouWave provides a 10 days free trial version of its Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich emulator which installs easily on your Windows. The only thing to take care before installing is to make sure VirtualBox (a virtual pc software) is uninstalled. Youwave provides access to the Amazon app store within its installation.
Download: Youwave.com
Android version: 4.3 Jelly Bean, 4.4 Kit Kat
App Store: Amazon App Store
Latest release: 3.18, 04 April 2014
5. Android Virtual Device Manager
The most official way to run an up to date Android version is to use the Android Virtual Device Manager that comes with the Android SDK. You can enjoy the latest 4.4 Kit Kat version this way. There isn’t much to do but things may get a bit untidy and it doesn’t work the same way as all the above mentioned solutions do. You may start with;
– Simply downloading and installing the SDK.
– When you are installing its components, make sure that you install ATOM system image for the version of Android you want.
– Run the Android Virtual device, create a device definition and create the new device.
Download: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Android version: All version upto 4.4 Kit Kat
App Store: Google Play Store
Latest release: 22.6.1, March 2014