Tu t o r i a l s
Run Android apps in your
desktop browser
App used » ARChon Packager Works with » Android 4.0.3 and up
Prepare the Chrome browser on your
computer for running Android apps. Go tohttp://
bit.ly/1Lyv94x and download the version of ARChon
to suit your computer (there is a 32-bit and 64-bit
version, and an ARM version for Chromebooks).
Once the 100 MB fi le has downloaded, unzip.In the Chrome address bar, enter
chrome://extensions to view all currently installed
extensions. Select the Developer mode box, click
‘Load unpacked extension’, browse to the folder
where ARChon was unzipped and select it. To
complete the installation, check the Enabled box.At present, your Android apps are not
compatible with ARChon. In order to run your apps
in Chrome you’ll need to convert them fi rst, which
we do with the ARChon Packager from the Google
Play store. This app converts APKs stored on your
phone and any installed apps.Install ARChon extension Add the extension Install ARChon Packager
1 23Learn how to run apps on your computer in the Chrome browser
Y
ou may be surprised to learn that you
can run Android apps in your desktop
Chrome browser. While not an exact
science, it is made possible by a custom
runtime called ARChon, which is added to
Chrome as an extension and is capable of
running apps that have been converted to
run with the runtime. This works on
Windows, Mac OS X and Linu x.
Adding the custom runtime to Chrome is
the easy part. The magic is in the conversion
which can be done using a couple of different
methods. Getting to grips with both of these
will enable you to cover all possibilities, as
some A ndroid apps may not convert
successfully on the fi rst attempt,
necessitating a second attempt with the
alternative conversion tool.
Meanwhile, if conversion seems a little
complicated or time consuming, other users
have compiled lists of links to apps that have
been converted already, so all you’ll need to
do is download these apps to your computer
and run them in Chrome with ARChon.Quick access
Being able to run your favourite
Android apps on your desktop
computer (Windows, Mac OS X and
Linux) can save a lot of time. Text
entry is made easier and as long as
Chrome is still running, the app will
be accessible.Choose your view
Depending upon your preference,
apps can be converted from your
Android device in smartphone or
tablet mode and with a choice of
Portrait and Landscape orientation.
Make the right choice to gain
maximum usability from the app as
you use it on your desktop PC.Sort local issues
Local issues can impact app stability.
Anti-virus and fi rewall software can block
apps from running or accessing the web,
so you’ll need to fi nd ways to overcome
this. Once successful, however, running
Android apps with the Chrome browser
delivers a truly liberating experience. Try it
out for yourself!Convert the right size
Not all apps will work effi ciently. Stick to
those with a smaller fi le size to make
converting simpler. If a conversion fails then
retry using a different set of options as this
can make all the difference.