Even though Android apps don’t work out of the box with macOS, it’s not hard to run Android apps on a Mac. It won’t be enough to just get the apps. You’ll need to choose and install an Android simulator before you can run them on your Mac. This piece of software makes your Mac act like it has the Android working system, so you can run the apps. Here, we show you how to choose an emulator and install it so that you can run Android apps on a Mac.
Choosing an Android Emulator
You can choose from a number of different models. If you know a lot about technology or just want to see what’s out there, you might want a choice that gives you more control over how it works. If you’re making Android apps on your Mac, you might need better creation tools.
Next, we show you how to set up BlueStacks, which is our best all-around emulator for Android. BlueStacks is one of the best and easiest-to-use Android emulators for Mac that is still being updated.
It’s also easy to set up, which makes it great for almost anyone, no matter how tech-savvy they are or how much they know about Mac or Android.
BlueStacks is also very well documented, so if you have trouble setting it up or using a certain app, it’s likely that someone else has already solved your problem.
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Installing and Running Apps with BlueStacks
BlueStacks needs macOS Sierra or later to run. BlueStacks was not originally compatible with macOS Big Sur, but it is now. You’ll also need 4GB of RAM and 4GB of free room on your hard drive. If your Mac was made before 2014, the graphics card might not be strong enough to run Android apps. You can view the full needs to ensure you’re all set.
Also, BlueStacks pulls Android app files from the Google Play store to download them. If you don’t already have a Google account, you’ll need to make one before you can use BlueStacks to run apps.
BlueStacks 4 is the most recent version for macOS at the moment. But BlueStacks 5 has just come out and should work soon. Check back often to find out when the newest version will be ready.
- First, navigate to the emulator’s download page, then double-click on the downloaded setup file with the .dmg extension.
- When the application opens, double-click on the BlueStacks logo to proceed.
- Click the “Install Now” button that appears at the bottom of the app window.
- If you get a “System Extension Blocked” pop-up, click on the “Open Security & Privacy” button.
- This should open a system privacy settings menu. At the bottom, click the “Allow” button.
After that, the installation should proceed by itself. If you’re having trouble following these steps, you can try following along with BlueStack’s video of the installation process.
Once BlueStacks is set up, it won’t be hard to run Android apps. When BlueStacks is running, you can use the main app page to go to the Google Play store. You can then start to download your apps. After you have received these apps, you can open them by clicking on their icons on the main page.
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Other Emulator Options
You can also use other emulators to run Android apps on a Mac. BlueStacks is the easiest to use most of the time, though. Some, like Android Studio, are more like places to build and test apps than to download and use them.
A famous alternative to BlueStacks is the Nox App Player, which works the same way. Once everything is set up, you can add more user accounts, which is a nice bonus. This is helpful if you want to play the same game with more than one character or account.
Andy is also a choice. It’s meant to make switching between Android and Windows or macOS as easy as possible. Even though you can use your phone as a device, it’s not the most recent emulator. OS X Mountain Lion is the most recent version of macOS, and Windows doesn’t work with it. It might not work with more recent versions of macOS. But if you have an older version, it could be a great option to BlueStacks.
If you are a creator and want to test your apps, Genymotion is a great tool. It’s not a free emulator, and PC use costs by the hour or by the year. This one isn’t for you if all you want to do is play your favorite Android games on your Mac.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I Install Android Apps Directly on Mac?
No. Apps for Android are made just for Android smartphones. These are made with different parts. Also, Android and Mac are two very different kinds of operating systems, so the code for an Android app wouldn’t work on Mac and vice versa.
2. Is Blue Stacks Compatible with Big Sur?
Yes. If you Google this question, you’ll see that many users say BlueStacks doesn’t work on macOS Big Sur. However, BlueStacks has since added support for this operating system. Emulators usually need a few months to make the changes they need to make in order to work with new big OS releases.
3. Will all Android apps work on Mac?
This will depend on the app. Most Android apps should work on a Mac with a simulator, as a general rule. But apps that depend on specific Android hardware or features of a cell carrier might not work right. Some apps are also made so that emulators can’t run them.
Running Android Apps on Mac
Apple doesn’t make it easy to run Android apps on Mac, but you can get your favorite apps up and running with the help of an Android emulator.
When it comes to mimics, you can choose from a few different ones. BlueStacks is a good choice because it is one of the best and easiest-to-use Android emulators. Once it’s set up, all you have to do to run Android apps is get them from the Google Play store and click “launch.” Check out the best Android emulators for Linux and the best Android apps for Windows if you want to use a different operating system.
