How to Run Android Apps on Google Chrome Browser?

One of the biggest reason we use Google Chrome web browser is the wide range of extensions and the applications that is supports. Chrome allows you to do a lot of tasks without leaving the browser but there are a few tasks that you just can’t do and you think how nice it would be if you could use an Android app to do that task from Chrome itself!

There are currently 4 Android apps available that you can use with the Chrome browser – Evernote, Vine, Duolingo and Sight Words – that can be easily downloaded from the app store of Google Chrome. But if you are waiting for a particular application to come to the browser, then it might take some months at most so why wait that long when you can use your favorite Android apps on Google Chrome easily. In this article, you will learn a simple way to use Android apps on Chrome without waiting for the official announcement.

Steps to Run Android Apps on Google Chrome:

To run the different Android apps on the Chrome browser, we are going to use the ARChon extensions that will allow us to play our favorite Android games on the browser itself. So let’s see the steps involved to complete this process.

Step 1: The first thing you need to do is download the ARChon extension for Google Chrome. Choose the download link suitable for your current OS and wait for some time for the download process to complete as the file size is not small.

Step 2: Next you need to extract all the files from the downloaded ARChon zip folder and copy it to a location like the Desktop to get it easily.

Step 3: Now you need to install the extension to your Google Chrome browser. For that you need to go to the Extensions page by going to “Settings > More Tools > Extensions”.

Step 4: On the Extensions page, you will see a small checkbox for enabling the Developer Mode on the top-right corner. Tick on the box and enable the Developer Mode.

Step 5: Now click on the “Load Unpacked Extensions” button and then a dialog box will popup. You have to navigate to the folder where you have downloaded the ARChon extension and then select it and the click on the OK button.

The extension will now be added to your Chrome browser. It will show a warning in a pink box, but don’t worry as you can just ignore it.

Step 6: Now you need to know about the Android apps that will work in Google Chrome browser. Thanks to the Android community on Reddit, we have a subreddit and a Google spreadsheet that lists all the apps and games that work on Google Chrome.

Note: Though there are many apps and games that will work in Google Chrome browser, you should not just download the paid apps because you can. I suggest you to download only the free applications. Downloading paid apps without paying for them is not at all legal and we don’t recommend you to do it.

Step 7: Now you need to download the application or the game that you wish to install on Google Chrome. You will get a zip file of the app, so extract all the contents of the file and store it in a location, like the Desktop, for ease of use.

Step 8: Now again follow the similar steps, go to the Extensions page, enable the Developer Mode, click on the “Load Unpacked Extensions” and choose the folder you just downloaded and click on OK. The application or the game will be successfully installed on your browser.

I have installed Candy Crush Saga game on my Chrome browser as you can see from the image above. So you will too see the application or game installed on your browser’s Extension page. Ignore the warning in the pink box.

Step 9: Now to open the app or the game in your browser, you need to go to chrome://apps (type it in the address bar) and there you will see the app’s icon.

Now to start running the application or the game that you installed, you just need to click on the icon of the app or game and it will start running in the browser.

Note: Remember that not all of the Android apps will be compatible with your device. Some apps will work and some won’t. 

So that was the complete guide on how you can install Android apps on Google Chrome browser. If you are facing any difficulties then be sure to leave a comment below and we will surely help you out.

Also if you want to install any Android apps or game that is not listed in any compatible apps list, then check out the source links below for better explanation.

Source: Phandroid & Lifehacker!