ARC Welder
ARC Welder is a Google-made software that allows you to take Android apps and run them on your Chromebook. It converts APK files into Chrome extensions that can then be launched like regular Chrome apps.
android
app-player
arc
chrome-os
emulator
ARC Welder: Run Android Apps on Chromebooks
Run your favorite Android apps directly from Google Chrome on a Chromebook with ARC Welder, a powerful software solution for seamless integration.
What is ARC Welder?
ARC Welder is a free software developed by Google that allows you to run Android apps on Chrome OS devices like Chromebooks. It works by packaging Android APK files into Chrome extensions that can then be launched through the Chrome browser.
Here are some key points about ARC Welder:
- It provides an easy way to get Android apps working on Chromebooks without complex setup or developer mode required.
- It converts the APK packages into Chrome extensions which include everything needed to run the Android app.
- The converted Android apps run in standalone windows so they look and function much like native Chrome apps.
- It has access to some hardware like camera, sensors, GPU which allows more Android apps to work properly.
- The selection of apps is currently limited as ARC Welder only works with apps that developers have optimized for Chrome OS.
- Performance can be a hit or miss depending on the complexity of the Android app and hardware specs of the Chromebook.
So in summary, ARC Welder opens up Chromebooks to allow installing and running Android apps easily without dual booting or other major workarounds. It provides a straightforward way to get more functionality out of a Chromebook.
ARC Welder Features
Features
- Allows running Android apps on Chrome OS
- Converts Android APK files into Chrome extensions
- Supports most Android apps designed for phones and tablets
- Easy to install and use
Pricing
- Free
Pros
Free and open source
Gives Chromebooks access to millions of Android apps
Simple setup process
Good performance for most apps
Cons
Limited compatibility with some apps
No Google Play Store access
Requires developer mode on Chromebook
Not all app features work properly
The Best ARC Welder Alternatives
Top Os & Utilities and Android Tools and other similar apps like ARC Welder
Here are some alternatives to ARC Welder:
Suggest an alternative ❐
Android
Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google. It is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software. Android is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.Some key things to know about Android:It was first launched in 2008 along...
Nox App Player
Nox App Player is a free Android emulator designed for Windows and Mac. It allows users to run Android apps and games on their computers by providing a virtual Android device and environment.Some key features of Nox App Player include:Ability to customize the virtual device configuration (CPU cores, RAM, resolution,...
Android-x86
Android-x86 is an open source project that ports the Android operating system to run on devices with x86 processors, allowing Android to be installed on regular PCs and laptops. It provides key functionality for supporting standard hardware like USB ports, networking, storage, graphics, touchscreens, and more.By porting Android to the...
Genymotion
Genymotion is a fast third-party Android emulator that is an alternative to the default Android emulator. Some key features and benefits of Genymotion include:Speed - Genymotion is much faster than the default Android emulator, with boot times of under 10 seconds in many cases. This improves testing efficiency.Hardware Configuration -...
WayDroid
WayDroid is an open source Android emulator for Linux that allows users to run Android apps on their Linux desktop without having to reboot or use virtualization. It integrates the Android runtime environment into a Wayland compositor and leverages Linux technologies like namespaces, cgroups, and seccomp to contain Android within...
Anbox
Anbox is an open source project that allows Android apps to run on regular Linux distributions. It uses Linux containers (LXC) to bootstrap a full Android system on a GNU/Linux operating system such as Ubuntu.The key advantages of Anbox over traditional Android emulators like Bluestacks are:It has minimal resource overhead...
PlayCover
PlayCover is a free and open-source video editing application for Windows. It provides a simple and intuitive interface that allows users to perform basic video editing tasks like trimming clips, splitting, stitching multiple clips, adding transitions, titles, effects, background music, and more.Some of the key features of PlayCover include:Support for...
IodéOS
iodéOS is an enterprise Linux distribution optimized for cloud-native infrastructure and next generation data centers. It provides a streamlined, hardened operating system focused on security and efficiency when deploying virtual machines, containers, and serverless functions.Key features of iodéOS include:Hardened Linux kernel with advanced security capabilitiesOptimized for running containers and Kubernetes...
Twerk
Twerk is a powerful yet lightweight open-source download manager available for Windows, Linux and MacOS. It helps users efficiently download files from the internet by utilizing multiple connections for faster speeds while also providing a wide range of advanced features to manage downloads.Some of the key highlights of Twerk include:Support...
XePlayer
XePlayer is a popular Android emulator for Windows that allows users to run Android apps and games on their PC. It aims to provide a smooth experience and good compatibility with many different apps and games available on the Google Play Store.Some key features of XePlayer include:Uses virtualization technology for...
HarmonyOS
HarmonyOS is an open-source, microkernel-based operating system first unveiled in 2019 by Chinese technology company Huawei Technologies. It was developed to address limitations in existing mobile operating systems and provide more seamless integration across devices.The key goals of HarmonyOS are to support a broad range of devices and provide a...
MSI App Player
MSI App Player is an Android emulator designed and optimized for gaming performance. Developed by Micro-Star International (MSI), App Player aims to provide a smooth experience for running Android apps and games on Windows.Some key features of MSI App Player include:Good hardware support - Makes use of virtualization technologies like...
