Today we are going to run Android apps on Windows. Android might have started of slow but it has evolved and grew into a proven OS with a developer friendly OS. Since it’s first inception Android has always been Open Source and it is free to develop apps and put them on the play store. This has led to a surplus of really cool Android apps, some of which aren’t available on iOS or other platforms. With this being said Android apps usually requires an Android smartphone or tablet but not today! So, with a little legwork, we will run Android apps on a Windows PC. On the other hand I ran Bluestacks on my Mac and I had problems with some games but it seems to be device specific. What works for me just don’t work for others. There are a couple of different ways to go about it, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

BlueStacks OK if you want to run some Android apps on your PC with minimum effort this is the first option. The BlueStacks App Player is an application itself, what it is is a very heavily modified version of an Android OS. Not only that, it has the Play Store built-in so you can have instant access to all of your free and purchased content. It actually adds an entry to your Google Play device list, impersonating as a Galaxy Note II. The BlueStacks client will load in a desktop window with different apps like games, social, productivity and so on. Clicking on an app or searching brings up the Play Store client as on tablets. You can actually navigate just as you would on a real Android device, which makes it clear there’s a lot more to BlueStacks than the “App Player” front end. You can even install a third-party launcher like Nova or Apex from the Play Store and set it as the default. The main screen in BlueStacks with the app categories is just a custom homescreen, so by replacing it makes BlueStacks feel almost like a regular Android device. By having the full Play Store access means you won’t be messing around with side-loading apps. Most games are playable, but keep this in mind as you’ll have trouble operating many of them with a mouse. If your PC has a touchscreen that would be helpful, but you can still use apps and games that rely on more than one touch input. BlueStacks can essentially make a Windows 8 tablet PC into a part-time Android tablet. The only real issue with BlueStacks is that it’s not running your so-called standard Android build. All the modifications the company made to get apps working on a PC can cause some issues. Some apps simply fail to run or crash without warning If you’re interested in getting Android apps running on your PC so you can actually use and enjoy them, BlueStacks App Player is one of the best solutions. It’s fast, it has Play Store access, and it also works on multi-touch Windows devices. The Android to PC ports are most definitely fun to play with, and performance is also solid when you get apps running, but they can be finicky. If you just want to play Clash of Clans or Battleheart on your Windows machine, try BlueStacks. In the next installment we will talk abut Android emulators, functionality, and drawbacks with using these. Until then have fun!