
Chrome OS users may have to use tools like chromeos-apk to package up apps like Skype Microsoft probably doesn’t want Skype running on Chromebooks, as they like using it as a cudgel against Chrome OS in their “Scroogled” campaign and other ads.Document reader for viewing document files in iSilo, Palm Doc, and plain text format.īonus: Get the complete edition of the CIA World Factbook for free, with layout optimized for viewing on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using iSilo. It’s unlikely we’ll see every Android app appear in the Chrome Web Store any time soon. We’ll probably need unofficial tools like chromeos-apk for a while. Google could go even further, adding Chromebooks as another supported device in Google Play so you could easily install any Android app on a Chromebook like you’d install it on a smartphone or tablet. In the future, Google will likely improve their Android app runtime and allow all Android developers to easily package their apps and put them on the Chrome Web Store. Soundcloud’s Android tablet app running on a Chromebook.
Of course, Windows users already have a good way to run Android apps with BlueStacks or by installing Android in a virtual machine. This modified runtime is less official and may be more unstable. It even allows you to run Android apps in Chrome on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It’s known as the ARChon Custom Runtime, and it allows you to run any number of apps at a time. Vladikoff-chromeos-apk’s developer-has also now released a modified Android runtime for Chrome. You’ll get the app’s APK file on your computer.

Click the Apps icon, locate the app you want to run, and click the Download button to its right. You don’t need to create an account, just scan the QR code on the screen with your device’s camera. Open the AirDroid app and visit the AirDroid website on your computer. Install the Android app you want to run on your Chromebook on your Android device, and install AirDroid as well. If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, AirDroid works well for this. (Click on any image in this article to enlarge it.) exe file from an unofficial file-hosting site instead of the official source.ĭownloading an Android app’s APK using AirDroid’s web interface. You can sometimes find APK files on various websites online, but that’s risky-it’s like downloading a program’s. Google doesn’t just allow you to download these from the Google Play Store.
