Running Android Apps on Chrome & ChromeOS

June 2, 2016Mark S. ZinzowSlideshare.net/msz

Wouldn't it be nice to run more apps on a Chromebook, or Android Apps on desktops?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2015/0403/ARC-Welder-How-to-run-Android-apps-on-a-Mac-or-PC

Googles ARC Welder
Run Android Apps in Chrome

http://www.howtogeek.com/214734/how-to-use-googles-arc-welder-to-run-android-apps-in-chrome/

App Runtime for Chrome (Beta), or ARC
Introduced in September of 2014

https://developer.chrome.com/apps/getstarted_archttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_App_Runtime_for_Chrome

Android Runtime for Chrome (ARC) is a compatibility layer and sandboxing technology for running Android applications on desktop and laptop computers in an isolated environment. It allows safely running the applications from a web browser, independent of user operating system, allowing the Android applications to run at near-native speeds.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/collection/also_on_android

ARC is a Chrome extension

ARChon Runtime for Chrome
Run Android Apps in Chrome in OS X, Linux and Windows
https://archon-runtime.github.io/

Chromeos-apk
https://github.com/vladikoff/chromeos-apk

Twerk

ARChon Packager

ARChon Packager (formerly Chrome APK Packager) is a convenient way to produce Chrome ARChon Custom Runtime packages directly from your phone. Stuck? http://www.omgchrome.com/chrome-apk-packager-android-app/ You can generate chrome packages from either APKs on your phone's storage, or from apps installed on your phone (It will pull APK)

ARChon Packager/Plugin Tips

This App Makes It Even Easier to Install Android Apps in Chromehttp://www.omgchrome.com/chrome-apk-packager-android-app/Remember: you do need to have the ARChon plugin ... installed in Chrome for apps to run.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.bpear.archonpackager

The ARChon plugin is not in the Webstore, get it here: https://archon-runtime.github.io/

Warning: The custom runtime will replace the official runtime component. To go back to the official runtime you will need to uninstall the custom one and reinstall the official one.This and more tips at:https://github.com/vladikoff/chromeos-apk/blob/master/archon.md

Over 300 Android Apps work with ARChon
http://tinyurl.com/ARChonApps

Sideloading the Google Play Services apk
https://github.com/vladikoff/chromeos-apk/issues/66

By the Fall of 2016, This will all be easier!

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2016/05/bring-your-android-app-to-chromebooks.html

http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/android-appsAs announced at Google I/O 2016, Chromebooks will soon support the Google Play Store and Android apps.

https://chrome.googleblog.com/2016/05/the-google-play-store-coming-to.htmlhttp://www.theverge.com/2016/5/19/11712140/android-apps-native-chromebook-videohttp://www.omgchrome.com/google-play-store-coming-chromebooks/

Many useful tips, hacks, links, and discussions at
https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeapks/

Guide to Running an APK

Download ARChon Runtime http://archon-runtime.github.io/Only apps modified to run with ARChon will work.Consult the compatibility sheet.

Unzip the file.

Go to chrome://extensions

Enable Developer Mode.

Click on the Unpacked Extension button.

Navigate to the vladikoff-archon-44bc9ba24037 folder, highlight it and click Open.

The ARChon Runtime is now "installed".

To launch compatible apps, load them using Unpacked Extension button in Chrome Extension settings and click launch.

Ways to Get a Sneek Peek

Chromebook HowTo: Update to the hidden Canary buildhttp://strawn-04.blogspot.in/2013/12/chromebook-howto-update-to-hidden.html

Note the lack of a yellow Chrome Canary logo. That's because, in Chrome OS, two versions of Chrome can't coexist like they can on other platforms. So, you get the same old multi-colored logo in Chrome OS Canary that you'll find in Chrome OS otherwise. However, notice how there's also no channel-switcher? Again, Chrome OS Canary is a whole different animal compared to other versions. Canary builds are not allowed to be easily interchangeable with other versions, and as such, you won't find a channel pull-down at all when you update.

Try Chrome OS Canary
Without Risking Your Chromebook's Stability
http://chromeos-cr48.blogspot.pt/

If you're not aware, Canary is a version of Chrome OS that is even more up to date with code changes and new features than dev channel. So it goes stable --> beta --> dev --> canary with stable being the most stable, reliable and least often updated version and canary being the least stable and least reliable but most often updated. A Canary version of the Chrome browser has been available and can be run in parallel with other Chrome channels on Windows and Mac for some time but there's been no publicly known equivalent for Chrome OS until Kenny's discovery and normally, your Chromebook is only on one channel of Chrome OS, switching between channels meant a USB recovery or powerwash.