OUR EXPERT
Nick Peers
is looking forward to seeing how his new hybrid Ubuntu/Android installation performs over the coming months.
QUICKTIP
You can take a local backup of your apps and data using the built-in
Seedvault
backup provider – see https://docs.waydro. id/faq/backuprestore-appsand-data for instructions on using it to both back up and restore.
QUICKTIP
You can take a local backup of your apps and data using the built-inSeedvaultbackup provider – see https://docs.waydro. id/faq/backuprestore-appsand-data for instructions on using it to both back up and restore.
Fancy running Android apps on your desktop? Then you need Waydroid. Unlike other attempts to emulate your mobile’s ecosystem, Waydroid installs Android in an LXC container, giving it direct access to your system’s hardware. Waydroid also integrates your new Android install directly into your desktop, making it possible to run mobile apps and native programs side by side in almost seamless fashion.
Thanks to full hardware acceleration, your choice of x86 and ARM (via translation) apps and games run smoothly. You can also set up file sharing to both access and transfer files between Android and Linux. Better still, Waydroid is relatively easy to set up and configure – and armed with our tutorial, you’ll have all the tools and tips you need to run just about any app on your PC.
Wailing about Wayland
When running Waydroid, you need to be running a desktop environment that uses the Wayland display server. Ubuntu has made Wayland its default since Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, but open a terminal window, type echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE and press Enter to confirm it’s Wayland running. If you’re stuck with X11, all is not lost – visit https://github.com/1999AZZAR/use-waydroid-on-x11 for detailed instructions.
Installation is simple – most distros are covered at https://docs.waydro.id/usage/install-on-desktops,but Ubuntu users should issue the following commands: $ sudo apt install curl ca-certificates -y$ curl -shttps://repo.waydro.id | sudo bash $ sudo apt install waydroid -y Ignore the ERROR: Waydroid is not initialized, run “waydroid init” message; once complete, open the program from its new shortcut on the app launcher.
Android activate!
The first thing you’re asked to do is initialise Waydroid. This involves downloading and installing your choice of Android image. Waydroid ships with a minimal custom image based on LineageOS that provides Android 11. You have a choice of two Android types: Vanilla, which requires you to install a third-party app store to access apps, or Gapps, which allows you to sign into your Google account and use the Play Store.