BY DAVID MURPHY
Android apps and Google Chrome are not like oil and water; at least not anymore. While Google is working to support more Android apps on Chromebook laptops, getting Android apps to work directly in the Chrome browser is a little trickier.
But not impossible. A modification to what's known as the App Runtime for Chrome—the very software that allows Android apps to run on Chrome OS—has brought forth a new piece of third-party software called ARChon Custom Runtime. Grab and install the customized version of ARC, and you'll be one step closer to running Android apps within your Chrome browser (on Windows, OS X, and even Linux).
However, just because you have the ARChon up and running within your Chrome browser doesn't mean that you'll be able to just surf to Google Play and start downloading. First, Google's app store doesn't quite work like that. Second, not every Android app will ultimately be compatible with the Chrome browser. Third, you need to get your hands on modified .APKs, or application packages, for the Android apps you want to use within Chrome. Standard .APKs just won't work.
And here's where a bit of soul-searching comes into play. There are already pretty comprehensive lists of apps that work in Chrome, filled with links to download their modified .APK files from third-party sites. It's not that big of a moral dilemma if the particular app you're looking to access via your browser wouldn't cost you anything to download on Android as is. However, if you're grabbing apps that you'd otherwise have to pay for, then you're skirting over the line of software piracy just a bit.
"But first, a disclaimer. The distribution of modified apps is not strictly speaking legal. Downloading APKs of free apps is probably not going to make the developer too upset, but paid apps are another story. Don't use this as an opportunity to steal a bunch of Android apps. Only download APKs from free apps or apps that you already purchased," according to Phandroid.
You can, of course, modify the apps you've downloaded (or paid for and download) yourself, but it's a complicated process. Phandroid spells it out in great detail, so be sure to hit them up if you want to give the technique a try. You might find that your favorite apps still don't work very well in Chrome, but it's something to check out if you just can't bear the thought of reaching for your phone while sitting at your desk.
No comments:
Post a Comment