Android's application ecosystem has proven to be versatile and developer-friendly after a bit of a slow start. You are free to develop an app for Android and publish it to the Play Store with Google's restrictions, or you can distribute it yourself outside the Play Store. This has led to a plethora of really cool Android apps, some of which aren't available on iOS or other platforms. Even in this age of giant phones, you might occasionally want to use those apps on a bigger screen, like the one connected to your Windows PC. Fortunately, with a little leg work, you can run Android apps on a PC. There are a few different ways to go about it, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
- Microsoft Phone App
- Phone Apps On Pc
- Your Phone App Microsoft Store
- How To Download Phone Apps On Pc
- Get Phone Apps On Computer
Android Studio
- One popular way to get Android apps running on a PC is to go through the Android emulator released by Google as part of the official Android Studio. The emulator can be used to create virtual.
- Instantly download apps for your Windows phone to your smartphone. Browse thousands of free and paid apps by category, read user reviews and compare ratings.
- Download apps for your Windows phone instantly to your smartphone. Browse thousands of free and paid apps by category, read user reviews, and compare ratings.
Use TextNow as your business phone line on your phone, tablet, and computer. Phone service without the phone bill 'I've got my mom's old phone, but I can't afford a pricey wireless plan, so I got a free phone number from TextNow and I use the app to talk to my friends for free!'. How to Download an iPhone App to Your Computer When you find an app on the iTunes Store that you'd like to try, just click its Get App button. At that point, you have to log in to your iTunes Store account, even if the app is free. After you've logged in, the app begins downloading.
One popular way to get Android apps running on a PC is to go through the Android emulator released by Google as part of the official Android Studio. The emulator can be used to create virtual devices running any version of Android you want with different resolutions and hardware configurations. The first downside of this process is the somewhat complicated setup process.
You'll need to grab the installer from Google's site and run through the setup process to download the platforms you want — probably whatever the most recent version of Android happens to be at the time (7.1 at the time of publishing). Google has some pre-configured emulation options available in the menu for Nexus/Pixel devices, but you can set the parameters manually, too. Once you've booted your virtual device, you'll need to get apps installed, but the emulator is the bone stock open source version of Android — no Google apps included.
Since there's no Play Store, you need to do some file management. Take the APK you want to install (be it Google's app package or something else) and drop the file into the tools folder in your SDK directory. Then use the command prompt while your AVD is running to enter (in that directory) adb install filename.apk. The app should be added to the app list of your virtual device.
The big upside here is that the emulator is unmodified Android right from the source. The way apps render in the emulator will be the same as they render on devices, and almost everything should run. It's great for testing app builds before loading them onto test devices. The biggest problem is that the emulator is sluggish enough that you won't want to make a habit of running apps in it. Games are really out of the question as well.
BlueStacks
If you're looking to get multiple apps and games up and running on your computer with the minimum of effort, BlueStacks is your friend. BlueStacks presents itself as just a way to get apps working, but it actually runs a full (heavily modified) version of Android behind the scenes. Not only that, but it has the Play Store built-in, so you have instant access to all of your purchased content. It actually adds an entry to your Google Play device list, masquerading as an Android device.
The BlueStacks client will load up in a desktop window with different app categories like games, social, and so on. Clicking on an app or searching does something unexpected — it brings up the full Play Store client as rendered on tablets. You can actually navigate around in this interface 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. The main screen in BlueStacks with the app categories is just a custom home screen, so replacing it makes BlueStacks feel almost like a regular Android device.
Having full Play Store access means you won't be messing around with sideloading apps, and BlueStacks manages to run apps pretty well (and better if you have a CPU that supports hardware virtualization). Most games are playable, but keep in mind you'll have trouble operating many of them with a mouse. If your PC has a touch screen, you can still use apps and games that rely on more than one touch input. BlueStacks can essentially make a Windows tablet PC into a part-time Android tablet.
The only real issue with BlueStacks is that it's not running a standard Android build. All the alterations the company made to get apps working on a PC can cause issues — some apps fail to run or crash unexpectedly. This customized environment is also of little value as a development tool because there's no guarantee things will render the same on BlueStacks as they might on a real Android device without all the back-end modifications. It's also a freemium service with a $2 pro subscription, or you can install a few sponsored apps.
Samsung Link to Windows
Samsung's latest high-end phones have enhanced support for Microsoft's Your Phone Windows 10 client, offering access to your messages, notifications, photos, and yes, apps. The apps aren't technically running on the PC — they're mirrored from your phone. However, this system is very fleshed out and officially supported. Everything else we've talked about is a bit of a hack or not for regular users, but you can be up and running with Link to Windows in a few minutes.
You will need a Samsung phone that works with the latest Your Phone features. As of this writing, that's just the Note20 family. The feature will expand to more Samsung phones in the coming months, though.
First, make sure you've got the Your Phone app on your Windows PC. Next, launch the Link to Windows client on your Samsung phone — it should be accessible under Advanced Features and from the quick settings. You'll have to scan a QR code on your computer with the phone and sign into your Microsoft account. And that's it.
Your app list appears in the Your Phone app, and you can launch any of them. Your phone doesn't need to be plugged in, but Wi-Fi is recommended. Currently, you can only run a single app, but multi-app support is coming in late 2020.
So What's the Best Way?
If you need to test something with the intention of putting it on other Android devices, the emulator is still the best way. This is best suited to developers as the configuration and management of apps is complicated. It's slow, but you'll be able to see how things will work on the real deal. If you're interested in getting more than a handful of apps running on your PC so you can actually use and enjoy them, BlueStacks App Player is the best solution for most people. It's easy, has Play Store access, and works on multitouch Windows devices.
If you happen to have a Samsung phone compatible with Microsoft's latest Your Phone features, that's by far the easiest way to get Android apps on your PC. These phones are expensive, so it's not worth buying one just for this single use case. However, if you're due for an upgrade and running Android apps on a PC is on your list of priorities, this might influence your decision.
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Phone screen allows you to interact with all your favorite Android apps and device content directly on your PC, through a Wi-Fi connection.
To use phone screen, you'll need:
A PC running Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later. However, we always recommend updating to the latest version available.
To check and update your Windows version, on your PC go to Settings > Updates & Security > Check for update.
To confirm you are running Windows 10 October 2018 Update (or later), on your PC go to Settings > System > About and check your version number under Windows specifications. It should read either 1809 or higher).
Your Android device and PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
You will need to have a supported Android device. Check the list of supported devices to verify yours will work.
Microsoft Phone App
On your PC:
Open the Your Phone app and go to Phone screen.
Follow the setup instructions. You may receive a permissions request to access information on your Android device. Allowing these permissions lets the Your Phone app display content from your device.
If you encounter issues while setting up Phone screen, these troubleshooting tips may help.
What devices are supported?
Phone screen is available on Android devices in select markets running Android 9.0 or greater that have Link to Windows installed (for some devices, it may be preinstalled).
Here are some examples of devices that have Link to Windows installed and will work with Phone screen:
Surface Duo
Samsung Galaxy Note9 series Mosaic 1 1 8.
Samsung Galaxy S9 series Adobe photoshop.
Samsung Galaxy Note10 series
Samsung Galaxy S10 series
Samsung Galaxy S20 series
Samsung Galaxy Note20 series
Samsung Galaxy Fold
Adobe demo photoshop. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Find the full list of available devices here.
How do I interact with Phone screen?
You can use your PC's mouse, trackpad, keyboard, or touch-enabled screen to open, type, scroll, and interact with apps.
Tips for interacting using mouse and keyboard:
Single click will behave as any single touch tap interaction
Right click anywhere on your Android device screen to navigate to the previous page
Click and hold to open a context menu
Click and hold and drag for text selection
Mouse scroll to move screen vertically
Some games and apps might not respond to interactions from a mouse or keyboard connected to your PC. You'll need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.
For your Surface Duo:
Gestures such as the ones used to navigate back or to the home screen on the device can be replicated with your mouse on your PC by clicking and dragging quickly from the edge of your Android device screen window. If you have trouble replicating them, we recommend turning on 3-button navigation:
You can enable 3-button navigation on your Surface Duo for easier interaction. In your device Settings, go to System > Gestures > System navigation and turn on 3-button navigation.
How do I switch keyboard language or layout?
When you type using your PC's keyboard the layout and language is controlled by a setting on your Android device for physical keyboards. It won't be affected by the language of the keyboard you're using on your PC.
You can click on the keyboard language button when you are using the phone screen feature. This will launch the keyboard language settings where you can choose the language of your preference.
When you are using a physical keyboard with the Your Phone app, you can also manually change your language or layout settings at any time.
On your Android device:
Open your Settings > General Management >Language and input.
If you have a Surface Duo, go to Settings > System instead.
Under keyboards, tap Physical keyboard.
Photoshop cs5 tools download. Select the keyboard that you're using on your Android device (E.g. SwiftKey, Microsoft Virtual Keyboard, or Samsung Keyboard).
Choose a language or layout.
You'll need to change this setting whenever you want to type using another layout or language.
Tip: When using Phone screen, if you have multiple languages or layouts added, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Space to switch languages.
Why has my device's screen turned off while using phone screen?
We provide you with the option to have your Android phone screen turn black while connected in phone screen. In this state, your screen will appear to be off—this is to protect the privacy of your personal phone content and minimize battery consumption.
How to interact with the black screen
There are several ways you can dismiss the black screen if you need to interact directly with your Android phone:
Press the power button
Swipe your device screen
Activate Bixby
Phone Apps On Pc
However, if you receive a call while the black screen is active, your screen will appear as normal.
How to disable the black screen
If you'd like to use phone screen without the black screen showing, follow the steps below.
On your PC:
Your Phone App Microsoft Store
In the Your Phone app, open Settings.
How To Download Phone Apps On Pc
In the Phone screen section, find the option to 'Hide my Android device's screen while it's connected to my PC.' Turn this toggle off.
Get Phone Apps On Computer
Note: You can change this setting at anytime if you'd like the black screen to show again.
