how to download android apps on easy How to Install Android Apps From APK on Chromebook. Android apps coming to might very well be the defining moment for ’s Chrome OS platform. In our usage of Android apps on Chromebook, we have found Chromebook’s functionality to have multiplied innumerably. However, there’s one catch, that is, many apps on the Play Store aren’t compatible with the Chromebook. For instance, apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Uber, Inbox by , , PayPal and more are incompatible because of various reasons like the fact that Play Store treats the Chromebook as an Android 6.0 tablet, the lack of GPS on Chromebooks etc. Thankfully, you can always sideload Android apps through APK files but Chromebook natively does not support these files. The good news is, there’s a way to install APK files on Chromebook and that’s what we are about to tell you. So, without further ado, let’s get on with it, shall we? Note: To install APKs, you will have to enable “Unknown Sources” and the option is only available on Chromebooks with developer mode enabled. To do it, check out our detailed post on how to enable developer mode on Chromebook. The Play Store is available on the Chrome OS 53 update through the developer channel and it’s only available for Chromebook Flip , as of now. So, before you try to install any APK files, check out our post on how to get Play Store. If you have the aforementioned Chrome OS build, here are the steps to install APK files on Chromebook: 1. Firstly, you will need a file manager Android app from the Play Store. So, open up Play Store and install the file manager you want. We used Solid Explorer in our test. 2. Then, download the APK files of apps you want to install from APKMirror.com. Meanwhile, go to Chrome OS Settings and click on “ App Settings ” in the Android Apps section. 3. The Android like Settings page should open up. Here, go to Security and turn on “Unknown sources” . 4. Once the APK file is downloaded, open the file manager app and go to the Downloads folder. Here, open the APK file and you should see the usual app installation interface from Android. Press “ Install “. 5. The app installation might take a little longer than usual but the good news is, all the APKs we tried to install, did install without any fuss. Once the app is installed, tap “Open” to start using the app. Note : While most of the apps install via the APK files route, not all of them work. For instance, Instagram works fine but apps like Uber, which require location services don’t work. Use Android Apps that are incompatible on the Play Store. Well, that was pretty easy, right? So, basically, you can now easily install apps that are incompatible with the Chromebook on the Play Store. So, install your favorite Android apps on your Chromebook with ease and do let us know your experience. Sound off in the comments section below and stay tuned for more articles related to Android apps on Chromebook, as we discover more about it. TAGS. 25 COMMENTS. dude. yes there is. press search/launcher button> enter in ‘settings’> apps> store> manage android settings> apps> special app access> install unknown apps. How to install Dragon Raja on chromebook? It doesn’t work in this way, is there some other way? It did not work I can’t even find the app settings tab. This is the only reason i went into developer mode. The alternate way in some copy-pasted replies don’t work either. Totally worthless instructions. There is no “Unknown Sources” settings in my Toshiba Chromebook Settings. Why post this when its totally misleading? thank you so much, it actually worked. hey how do i get to chromeOS settings?? there is normal settings on my chromebook, but it shows none of what you talk about. yes, this is 2020 and this was made long time ago so its not the same. press search/launcher button> enter in ‘settings’> apps> google play store> manage android settings> apps> special app access> install unknown apps. there is no longer a toggle and you have to download the apk first, go back to there and install it. Doesn’t work on my HP 2 in 1 Chromebook as I still get the message to “turn on Chrome developer mode….”. I still have to go the Linux route, figures–leave it to HP. There is nothing like Apps Setting option in HP-CHROMEBOOK. Hey Beebom,Is there any way to install app on os by cloudready. How do you get XAPK files onto your chromebook? I had tried this process on my Acer chromebook 15 and works out nicely! So happy, now that I can run not only regular google play apps but APK app files as well! this is gargabe. there is no such thing as unknown sources. its hard i spent 30 minutes finding it and please make sure to check post time before you shit on a post. Where in ChromeOS settings is there a section for “App settings”? Utter bollocks. If you can’t write instructions properly, don’t bother. Shit instructions. A “Geek”? My arse. yes, this is 2020 and this was made long time ago so its not the same. press search/launcher button> enter in ‘settings’> apps> google play store> manage android settings> apps> special app access> install unknown apps. there is no longer a toggle and you have to download the apk first, go back to there and install it. I have gone to developer mode manually but is still greyed out. Can you please tell me what is wrong? Ditto. This info is simply wrong. Look at the time of post before you comment stuff like that. “Unknown Sources” is greyed out on my new Asus Flip C302CA with latest Chrome OS and with Android Beta Channel enabled. Because it is greyed out, I cannot turn it on. Did you set your Chromebook to developer mode through a powerwash? did you find out how to enable the “Unkown sources” when they are greyed out? Can you do a similar exercise with the Asus ? um hi im trying to do this on my school chromebook and i downloaded the apk file but i don’t have where it says manage apps can you give me a step by step guide on how to do the rest. Thank you if you reply. please i have followed your procedure but the app setting is not showing. what should i do. thank you. How to Sideload Android Apps on Chromebook without Developer Mode. Following the recent announcement, Google has finally brought the ability to install Android apps on Chromebook without Developer Mode. This is truly great and path-breaking for both developers as well as the Chrome OS enthusiast community. You can finally install Android APKs on your Chromebook which are not available on the Play Store, and for that, you don’t have to sacrifice your security. So without any delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to sideload Android apps on Chromebook. Note: Want to learn how to sideload Android apps on Android TV? Follow our linked guide to find out. Sideload Android Apps on Chromebook without Developer Mode in 2021. Before we begin, make sure your Chromebook is updated to Chrome OS 86 or above. You can update your Chrome OS build from Settings -> About Chrome OS. Apart from that, note that you don’t need to move to any other update channel or Developer mode. The ability to sideload Android apps on Chromebook has already moved to the Stable channel. Set Up ADB on Chromebook. 1. Open Settings and turn on Linux (Beta) from the left menu. If you don’t know how to do it, follow our guide and learn how to set up Linux on Chromebook. 2. After setting up Linux, open Settings again and navigate to Linux -> Develop Android Apps -> Enable the toggle for ADB Debugging . Now, restart your Chromebook and an ADB prompt will come up after the reboot. Click on “Allow” and you are done. Note: In case, ADB toggle is not turning on then you will have to reset your Chromebook. A similar thing happened with our machine and power washing the Chromebook resolved the issue. 3. Now, open Terminal from the app drawer and execute the below command to install the ADB platform tools . 4. After the installation, run the below command to connect the Android system with Linux on Chrome OS . Remember, your Chromebook should be connected to a WiFi network for this to work. 5. A window will instantly open up to “Allow USB Debugging”. Enable the checkbox for “Always allow” and then click on the “Ok” button. By now, you have successfully set up the base. 6. If you are getting an error saying “ can’t connect to 100.115.92.2:5555 connection refused ” then open Settings -> Apps on the left pane -> Google Play Store -> Manage Android Preferences -> System -> About Device. Click on “Build number” for 7-8 times continuously. It will enable the Developer Options. 7. Now, go back to the System page again and open Developer Options. Here, enable “ADB Debugging” . 8. If the Terminal shows “Permission Denied” or “Command Not Found” error then run the below command and then try again with the adb connect command mentioned above. Install Android APK on Chromebook. 1. Now that you have set the foundation, go ahead and download the Android APK that is not available on the Play Store and move it to Linux files . For example, I have downloaded the Firefox APK to install on my Chromebook without Developer Mode. Note: Rename the downloaded APK to something shorter, just so you can easily type it on the Terminal. 2. Open the Terminal and type the below command to sideload the Android app on Chrome OS. In your case, you will have to change the app name in place of firefox . 3. If you are getting an error saying “ more than one device/emulator ” then run the command in the below syntax. Here, you need to change the firefox part. 4. Now, open the app drawer and you will find the Android app that you just installed. Keep in mind, the Android app is using its ART (Android Run Time) framework and not running in a Linux container. So, the performance is great and similar to other apps downloaded from the Play Store. Enjoy! Install Any Android App on Your Chromebook. So that was our guide on how to sideload Android apps on Chromebook without Developer mode. While the solution is not that straightforward, it’s immensely helpful for geeks. Also, once you set up the ADB, you just have to download the APK, and then it can be installed via the adb install command. So that was all from our side. If you want to learn more hacks about Chromebooks and Chrome OS then stay tuned with us as we bring some interesting guides for you in the coming days. As for now, we have covered the best Chrome OS apps and Chromebook games in detailed articles so check that out. TAGS. 114 COMMENTS. I had to change to the Dev channel, as well as the development mode. But this worked, and I have sideloaded some apks successfully. Now if I go back to the stable channel, and the chromebook will powerwash, and reinstall everything. I wanted to know if it will reinstall the sideloaded apps also or not? thanks. It won’t reinstall sideloaded apps. Help! I’m have downloaded the app and it’s in my downloads folder. How do I move it to my Linux files? it works for mee. Get an error at step 3 says uknown command: sudo. Am on lenovo ideapad 3 chrombook manfacture date 12/20. Which website did you get the apk of firefox. Dude, you need developer mode to do ADB debugging. You don’t need developer mode to use ADB debugging, you just have to turn on Linux on your chromebook. If you don’t have the option then your chromebook isn’t compatible with it. I had to do the Developer Mode on my Chromebook, before I could install adb. I am a complete PHD chromebook user (ie Press Here Dummy)…. I have no experience with anything “behind the scenes”… I followed your amazingly clear instructions and managed to successfully install the Cinema HD apk on a new Chromebook.. worked first time. Thank you very much! is it still working? Why don’t I have a Linux(beta) button thingy, is there another way to install android apps? its now in advanced options > developers > linux something. worked perfectly fine. just needed on more reboot when received refused connection. i have a question. so i got minecraft bedrock using this, and wanted to import worlds into it. then i realized, how can i do that if i cant access the files!? so basically i need to know how to access the files, i tried for a bit but cant figure it out. All i’m getting is simply: ”[INSTALL_FAILED_NO_MATCHING_ABIS: Failed to extract native libraries, res = -113]”. Any help would be extremely appreciated… Several other people has gotten the same issue and haven’t got any help at all… so i’m guessing i won’t get any help either. So… when i try installing an app with the ”adb -s emulator-5554 install APPNAME.apk” command it just tells me ”adb: failed to install Edge.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_NO_MATCHING_ABIS: Failed to extract native libraries, res=-113]”. I’m trying to install Microsoft Edge, thus the app name is called Edge.apk. Anyways, i have absolutely no clue what that failure means… Any help… pls? This is my first time messing around with Linux so… help would be appreciated. I also did Edge.apk and also did’nt work. In my case I accomplished the side-load and apk install with way less steps, also want to state that Im using a Lenovo Chromebook 500e. Hope this help for the ppl that are having issues. Set Up ADB on Chromebook Steps 1-5 and Step 8 (I think in step 5 my Chromebook ask me to restart the system. My recommendation will be that even if it doesn’t ask you for the restart when you reach step 5 go ahead and do it manually) Install Android APK on Chromebook Step 1 only. Install Any Android App on Your Chromebook adb -s emulator-5554 install APPNAME.apk. E: Type ‘new’ is not known on line 4 in source list /etc/apt/sources.list E: The list of sources could not be read. E: Type ‘new’ is not known on line 4 in source list /etc/apt/sources.list E: The list of sources could not be read. Hey mine is the same fix? what is this error message and how do I fix it? what is this error message and how do I fix it? Linux Debian 10 buster. Happens when I put sudo apt tools install. What is the link to the firefox apk? that sure doesn’t look like the crappy mobile version Thanks! Please consider updating your guide with this information: Problem: I was an able to toggle a ADB debugging on my book even after a power wash. What I didn’t realize is that it had the first to be enabled at the primary chrome account and it automatically cascades to all other accounts. I was trying to enable ADB debugging on a secondary account on my pixel book. My chrome OS version is 88 and stable channel. What I had to do was to go into the primary or the first account that I set up on the chromebook and install the Linux Beta container on it and then enable ADB debugging for this account. Once I did that, the toggle was automatically enabled for all other accounts that were set up on the Chromebook. Then it was a matter of following the guide and installing the Minecraft APK If you follow Arjun’s instructions TO THE LETTER, this works perfectly. I’m stupid, so it took me a couple of tries. I have a Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook. My key takeaway: if the apk file you download has upper and lower case letters in the file name, it is critical to duplicate it EXACTLY it looks when you move it to the Linux folder. I feel like a complete idiot! I didn’t even think about it being an issue with upper and lower case, thank you so much for having common sense, because it worked! I can’t do 4th step. Terminal says “unable to connect to 100.115.92.2:5555: Connection timed out”. I tried to connect with wi-fi and mobile data and nothing changed. Android apps on Chrome OS in 2021: A complete guide. On Chrome OS, native apps are cloud-based. This means productivity apps like Gmail and live and store items in the cloud. Newer Chromebooks also support Android apps, downloaded via the Google Play Store. This opens up a wide array of possibilities, with millions of productivity apps and games available. Both web apps and Android apps support shortcuts and are easily accessed via the Launcher. Whether you’re looking for familiar social media apps or mobile games, Android apps offer something for everyone. Let’s take a look at how to get started with Android apps on Chrome OS, along with some of the best apps to install. Is your Chromebook compatible with Android apps? Before you can start expanding your app selection via the Google Play Store, you need to verify that your Chromebook is supported. If your Chromebook was released in or after 2017, there’s a good chance it can run Android apps. The fastest way to check this is to head into Settings on your Chromebook. Check if your Chromebook supports the Google Play Store: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Click on the time in the bottom right corner. Click on the Settings cog. Select Apps . If your Chromebook supports the Google Play Store, you will see a Google Play Store option. This means you can run Android apps on your Chromebook. Some older Chromebooks didn’t ship with Google Play support enabled by default. However, many of those devices received Android app support via an update. If you have an older Chromebook, you should check for updates if you don’t see the Google Play Store option available. How to update your Chromebook: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Connect to Wifi. Click on the time in the bottom right corner. Select the Settings cog. Choose the About Chrome OS option. Click or tap on Check for updates . Follow instructions until the update completes. Unfortunately, if the Google Play Store option still doesn’t appear in Settings , your device doesn’t support Android apps. If your Chromebook doesn’t support Android apps, it’s probably worth upgrading to one of our favorite new Chromebooks. If your Chromebook does support Android apps, the Google Play Store should be enabled by default. In the rare case the option isn’t on already, you can choose Turn on to enable the option to run Android apps. Installing and using Android apps on Chrome OS. If you use an Android phone on a daily basis, you’ll already know how to install apps from the Play Store. On the other hand, the process might be a bit new for those using an iPhone as their daily device. Installing apps from the Play Store is very similar to the process for Apple’s App Store for iOS or macOS. How to download Android apps on your Chromebook: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Open the app drawer. Either tap on the Launcher icon, or swipe up from the bottom. Find the Google Play Store app and open it. Search or browse for your app of choice. If you’re looking for options, see our list of best Android apps coming up in this article. Click on Install. Wait for the app to install, and it will appear in your app drawer shortly after. Now that you know how to install Android apps, let’s take a look at the best options in each category. Best Android apps on Chrome OS. Before we jump into our list of the best Android apps for each category, note that not all Android apps are optimized for Chromebooks. Most popular social media, productivity, and media apps are optimized, but there are rare exceptions. It’s easy to tell if an app is not optimized for Chromebooks — you’ll notice that the app still runs in a window the size of a phone screen. The majority of the apps discussed below are optimized for Chrome OS, with the exception of Microsoft Office Mobile. Android Apps for Chromebook. Android Apps for Chromebook has made Chrome OS devices much more valuable as a Windows or MacOS alternative. There’s a good chance your Chromebook or the Chrome OS device you are considering supports Android apps. Read on, and find out what devices are supported, how to setup the device, and how to add Android apps to your Chromebook. Which Chromebooks Support Android Apps. While it had some excellent utility for a low-end price tag, the list of Chromebook apps initially was limited to Chrome extensions and apps specifically designed for Chrome OS. The lack of a thriving app ecosystem hindered the overall adoption because critics often compared it to a Windows-based or MacOS-based computer. However, with a vast number of apps on Google Play and a similar device in terms of internal hardware, supporting the Android ecosystem was able to add a lot of functionality for a relatively low cost. The initial attempts failed and didn’t work well with Android apps. After a scrapping the project for a more promising implementation, Chrome OS officially began supporting Android apps on limited devices in 2016. Since the hardware and operating systems aren’t the same, there couldn’t be 100% support, but the people behind Chrome OS have continually added support for additional devices. Chromebooks created after this feature was announced for the OS most likely included the necessary components. If your device was made in 2017 or after, it should come with this feature built-in. If you have an earlier model, there is still a good possibility that your device supports Android apps. A list of devices that supoort Android apps can be found on the Chromium Projects Website. How to Check if Your Chromebook Supports Android Apps. If you want to be able to check from your device, first check to make sure you are running Chrome OS 53 or higher. This is done by clicking on the time in the bottom-right corner > Settings > Menu > About Chrome OS. If the device is running Chrome OS 53 or higher, you can check if the “Google Play Store” section is available in Settings. If it is, congratulations! Your device supports Android apps. You can “Turn on” the “Install apps and games from Google Play on your Chromebook” option. In the window that comes up, you will need to agree to the Terms of Service. Once you click “I Agree”, you are ready to install some Android apps. Additionally, an organization’s or school’s security policies may prohibit this feature. Supported devices would not have access to Android apps for Chromebook, in this case. While in most cases, this is a great feature, some organizations may not want to expose their devices to the Android ecosystem. If you need any additional help on your Chromebook setup, leave a comment or head over to Chromebook Help Center. How to Install Android Apps. The process from here is rather simple because it basically mirrors what happens on an Android device. Here are the basic steps: Open the Google Play Store app or navigate to play.google.com Search for the app you want, or browse the recommended apps Click on the desired Android app Click on the Install button (or it will have a price listed if it’s a paid app) Once downloaded, Android apps can be used and managed like your other Chromebook apps. What to Expect from Android Apps. Generally, you should have a very nice experience with the news apps. However, most Android Apps were designed with a touch-screen smartphone or tablet in mind. This means that some apps may not be very easy to use with a mouse and keyboard. With some Chromebooks not having touchscreens, these apps may be more trouble than they are worth. Fortunately, this case should be few and far between, and with some of these having browser-based web apps, few users should run into this issue, if at all. How to run Android apps on your Chromebook. Running Android apps on Chromebook devices enhances the overall experience, giving owners the chance to use the same apps they do on their phones as well as play popular mobile games. It also makes the platform much more useful, as Android has a selection of creative, work, and productivity apps that can be used for serious tasks. If you’re wondering whether or not you have a Chromebook that runs Android apps and want to know how to set them up, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find everything you need to know about the topic in this post. How to run Android apps on your Chromebook. Which Chromebooks support Android apps? If your Chromebook was released in or after 2017, there’s a good chance it can run Android apps. There are two ways to check this. The first one is to head to the Chromium website where you’ll find a list of all the Chromebooks that support the Google Play Store. Is your Chromebook on the list of supported devices?: Got to the Chromium website. The list of Google Play Store-supported devices is long. To find it quicker press Ctrl + F (if you are using Windows). Type in your Chromebook’s model. If your device name is found, it means you should have access to the Google Play Store. In case you don’t know the model name of your device or just don’t want to search through the Chromium website, you can easily check for Google apps support in the settings of your Chromebook. Check if your Chromebook supports the Google Play Store on your device: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Click on the status bar in the bottom-right corner of the user interface. Click on the Settings cog. Select Apps . If your Chromebook supports the Google Play Store, you will see a Google Play Store option. This means you can run Android apps on your Chromebook. If you need some more help we have a comprehensive list of Chromebooks that support Android and Linux apps. We update it regularly, so check it to see if your Chromebook is on the list. Check it out below. Don’t have Google Play? It’s not all lost yet. A lot of older Chromebooks — released in or before 2017 — didn’t ship with Android app support. However, some of them did receive access to the Play Store via a software update. So, in case you have an older device and are not seeing the Play Store in there, updating to the latest version of the OS may change that. How to update your Chromebook: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Make sure you’re connected to the internet. Click on the status bar in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Select the Settings cog. Hit the About Chrome OS option. Click on Check for updates . Follow instructions until the update finalizes. Once that’s done, all you have to do is follow the instructions listed above on how to check if a Chromebook supports Android apps. If you still don’t see the Google Play Store option in the settings, your device doesn’t support Android apps. How to enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook. If your Chromebook supports Android apps, you should see the Play Store in the app drawer on your device. But in case you don’t see it, you’ll have to enable it first. It’s easy and won’t take more than 30 seconds of your time. How to enable the Google Play Store on your Chromebook: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Click on the status bar in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Select the Settings cog. Click on the Apps option. Hit the Turn on button next to the Google Play Store option. That’s all there is to it — you should now see the Play Store in the app drawer of your Chromebook. How to download apps on Chromebook. I’m sure most of you know how to download apps on Chromebooks, but I’ll explain the process anyway for those who are new to Chromebooks and Android apps in general. In short, the process is more or less identical to downloading apps on your Android phone or tablet. How to download Android apps on your Chromebook: Turn your Chromebook on and log in. Open the app drawer. Find the Google Play Store app and open it. Search or browse for your app of choice. Click on Install . Let your device do its thing. Once the app is installed, it will show up in the app drawer on your device, where you can click it and then start using it. Bonus tip: Not all apps are optimized for Chromebooks. While a lot of Android apps — especially the more popular ones — are optimized for Chromebooks, a lot of them still aren’t. An optimized app will work in full-screen mode, making it easy to use. These apps work just like standard Chromebook apps you get from the Chromebook . Apps that aren’t optimized, however, show up in a phone screen format, which only takes up a portion of your screen. They can still be used, but the experience isn’t the best. You can check out how an unoptimized app looks like on a Chromebook in the screenshot above. Easy, right? And in case you want to check out more Chromebook-related guides, you can find a few of them below.