6 Ways To Use Android On Windows

The use of smartphones increases significantly day by day, more and more people use their phones and tablets daily to carry out any operation, sometimes leading them to the desire to use their apps on their Android phones on their computer. If we think of Android apps, such as asset management, expense management and so on, having these types of applications installed on Windows is certainly an advantage. Thanks to virtualization and other technologies, there are some solutions to run Android apps on Windows . In this guide we are going to see 6 ways to use Android on Windows.

The topics of the post hide ]

  • 1 Windows subsystem for Android (WSA)
  • 2 Android Studio
  • 3VirtualBox based Android emulators
  • 4 LDPlayer
  • 5 BlueStacks 5
  • 6 Nox Player
  • 7 MEmu
  1. Windows subsystem for Android (WSA)

Android wsa

The Windows Subsystem for Android, or WSA , is an emulated Android environment and is part of the Amazon Appstore . You can install this application from the Microsoft Store , and immediately notice fast performance, especially if your system exceeds the required hardware system requirements.

If you can find the Android apps you need on the Amazon Appstore or if you don’t mind taking a few extra steps to install Android APK files , WSA is the best solution for you. I recommend using WSA if you are a bargain user, and you already know that you won’t be using android apps on your windows computer for a long time.

Pro

  • Official Microsoft solution for running Android apps
  • Amazon App Store support
  • Apps can have their own startup icons on the taskbar and on the Start menu
  • Multiple apps can run within their own individual windows

Versus

  • It only works on Windows 11
  • Higher hardware system requirements
  • Not available in all countries,
  • Google Play and Google Services need to be added manually.
  • APK installation requires command line or third party app
  1. Android Studio

Android studio

Android Studio is an integrated development environment developed by Google to help Android developers build apps and test them on various Android versions to ensure full compatibility. Android Studio comes with a feature called AVD (Android Virtual Device) , which lets you choose a hardware configuration and Android version to emulate on your computer.

Once you’ve installed Android studio, created the ISO image, and started the emulator, you can either go to Google Play or drag and drop APK files to install and use Android apps.

Since Android Studio comes with various developer tools, this solution requires more storage space and has a complicated interface.

Pro

  • Google’s official solution for testing Android apps
  • It supports many Android versions
  • It also supports macOS, Linux and Chrome OS

Versus

  • Cumbersome installation process involving several downloads
  • Possible graphics problems on some hardware configurations
  • Slightly difficult UI for non-developers to interpret
  • Some app compatibility issues
  • High disk space requirements

VirtualBox based Android emulators

Virtual box android

VirtualBox is a free and open source virtualization solution for running operating systems, such as Windows and Linux. All the Android emulators that we are going to deal with in the list below are launched within VirtualBox and are equipped with customized Android iso images.

Common features shared by all emulators include the ability to create multiple virtual machines, customizable CPU and RAM allocation to the Android virtual machine, and an integrated screen recorder. While the main focus of all these solutions is gaming, you can also install and use Android apps via the pre-installed Google Play app or drag and drop APK files.

  1. LDPlayer

LD Player has been around since 2016 and has evolved to become what may be the best VirtualBox based Android emulator . The installation process is very simple, and you will be able to use the emulator in no time.

If you decide to use LDPLayer as an Android emulator, you need to pay particular attention to hardware performance allocations, in order to maximize performance.

Pro

  • Simple setup process with minimal ads
  • Launched in less than seven seconds on average

Versus

  • Older versions of Android require a separate installer
  • Unable to view the size of each virtual machine from the app.
  1. BlueStacks 5

BlueStacks 5 is the oldest Android emulator on the list that continues to receive updates and support. This emulator boasts excellent performance and is very easy to use.

However, the downside to BlueStacks is that it breaks some Windows features, to work at its best.

Pro

  • Faster boot time, averaging around 6.12 seconds
  • Google Chrome pre-installed
  • Apps can have their own startup icons on the taskbar and on the Start menu

Versus

  • It requires a lot of Windows settings to work best.
  • The size of each virtual machine cannot be viewed from the app

Also Read: How To Uninstall BlueStacks

  1. Nox Player

Nox Player is an Android emulator released in 2015 and is currently one of the best Android emulators for people who are in possession of computers with limited storage space.

The Android emulation system is less than one gigabyte in size, which is three to five times smaller than the average Android ISO image.

It is also the only VirtualBox-based solution with a macOS version.

Pro

  • Small virtual machine file size
  • Also available for macOS
  • Apps can have their own startup icons on the taskbar and on the Start menu
  • It supports 120 fps

Versus

  • Low Geekbench score (395 single core and 798 multi-core)
  1. MEmu

If you like to have fun and test the various versions of Android through a single solution based on VirtualBox, MEmu is the best solution, as it allows you to create Android 4.4, 5.1, 7.1 and 9.0 environments.

Older versions generally offer faster performance at the expense of compatibility with the latest apps, but the Android 9.0 environment scored highly in the benchmarks.

All of which makes it a good choice for using heavier Android apps, if you don’t mind some occasional bugs and advertisements.

Pro

  • Optional support for Android 4.4 apps
  • Google Chrome pre-installed
  • It supports 90 and 120 fps options

Versus

  • Annoying video ads on startup require a monthly subscription to deactivate
  • Occasional stability issues during startup and use