Run Android Apps in Chrome

The App Runtime for Chrome (ARC) is a newer feature that allow’s desktop versions of the browser to run Android applications. To get started, download ARC Welder, a Chrome application used to load and configure Android APKs, from the Chrome App Store:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/arc-welder/emfinbmielocnlhgmfkkmkngdoccbadn

ARC Welder for Chrome

Once installed, ARC Welder will be available alongside your other Chrome applications:

Android apps are commonly packaged using the Android Application Package (APK) format. A quick Google search shows just how easy APKs are to find. For this demo, I used the Instagram APK available on APKMirror.com:

Instagram APKs - APKMirror

Once you’ve downloaded the APK, launch the ARC Welder application in Chrome and load the APK:

Instagram works best in a phone-style orientation and size.

Once you launch, the Android app should load, but it can be a little buggy. If you have an issue, try closing ARCWelder which should also kill the app. Jump back you your Chrome app list and you’ll notice the Android App has been added to the list:

Launching it should be quick and painless:

Launching Vine for Android in Chrome.

I was able to successfully load and post to Instagram and Vine. Chrome was even kind enough to create Desktop icons and notifications for these apps. I had access to my local file system (AMAZING) but there was a small bug that would reopen the file select dialog after selecting a document. Just hit cancel the second time it opens.

Happy posting!