Wednesday, August 22, 2018

How to install Android on PC

Android does not have an official desktop version. However, there are some workarounds by which you can install Android on PC (partially). In this article, we will discuss some of the methods available to install Android on PC.

Note: You will not be able to enjoy all the functionalities (compared to a smartphone) on a PC – you can either get the ability to utilize Android apps/games or run a basic emulator for development or testing.

How To Install Android On PC: 4 Methods

1. Using Bluestacks

We have already talked about this in our recent article on how to use Bluestacks.

So, if you want to install Android on PC to take advantage of apps/games available on the Google Play Store, Bluestacks is the way to go. The latest Bluestack version runs on top of Android Nougat (Android 7.0).

2. Using NOX Player

Similar to Bluestacks, NOX Player is yet another solution to utilize Android apps and games right on your desktop. In case, Bluestack does not work for you (or performs poorly), you can try the NOX Player. It is a bit less resource-demanding.

3. Using Android Studio

If you want to test drive the latest Android builds (suppose the Android P Preview) on your desktop, you can utilize Android Studio’s AVD (Android Virtual Device) Manager. Do note that it is meant for app testing/debugging – so it is not a dedicated solution to try apps on. If you’re inclined towards using an app/game on your desktop, Bluestacks should be the choice.

Setting up a virtual device using Android Studio is very easy. We will guide you through the steps you need to follow in order to use AVD Manager to run Android on PC.

First, you need to download the latest Android Studio from its official website. If you have a Mac or a Linux-powered system you should check the installation notes for the same.
Once you start the installation process (regardless of the platform you’re installing in). While following the on-screen instructions, you need to select an option to install Android on PC specifically. Here’s what you need to do:

You need to check the “Android Virtual Device” option to be able to run the Android emulator from within Android Studio.
Ensuring that you have checked the option in the image above, you should proceed to complete the installation.
Now, after a successful installation, you need to launch the Android studio and head to the “Tools” option in the menu bar and click on the “SDK Manager“.
From the list, choose the one that you want to install on your PC. Click “Apply” and then wait for the download to complete.
After downloading the system image, you need to head on to the “AVD Manager” as shown in the image below.
Now, you will be prompted with the instructions to create a virtual device. Follow the instructions as per your preference to create the virtual device.
Once created, click on the Playicon to launch the emulator.

4. Using Android-x86

If you want to experiment installing Android as a desktop OS, then you should try the unofficial Android-x86 desktop port.

Simply head on to its official website and download the ISO file. Once done, make a bootable USB drive just like you would do to install Windows and then proceed to install it alongside Windows.

To be on the safe side, I will suggest to try it on VMWare just like we install Ubuntu in Windows.

In either case, if you want to get it installed on your hard drive (or the SSD), you should follow the official installation notes.

5. Using Remix OS for PC

Derived from the Android-x86 project, Remix OS is a deliberate attempt to enhance the user interface for PCs. You can install Remix OS for PC just like the original Android x86 project. However, it is no longer being maintained (since 2016).

So, be cautious before proceeding to install it on a production PC.

Wrapping Up

Now that you know how to install Android on PC, get some chicken dinners with PUBG if you’re up for it! Do you happen to know any other interesting methods to install Android on PC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

[Tutorial] How to flash a Spreadtrum Android phone Using Miracle Box

This guide will explain how to use Miracle Box to flash stock rom to a Spreadtrum Android Phone.

Requirements

Windows PC
USB cord
Install Spreadtrum drivers
Download Miracle Box
Download Stock ROM

How to flash a Spreadtrum Android phone Using Miracle Box

The steps below explain how to flash a spreadtrum SPD android phone using miracle box

Extract the content of the Miracle Box zip into a folder and launch Miracle loader exe
The Miracle Box Window should open
Click on the SPD tab
Tick the checkbox beside Write
Select the phone's chipset type from the dropdown bar
Click on the small browse folder button
In the window that opens next, select the .pac or .mira firmware file then Click on Open
Click on the Start button
You should now see >> "Scanning USB Serial port..." at the bottom left hand corner. Hold the vol down button on your phone and Connect the phone to the PC (must be switched off with battery inside)
A small windows should pop up. Select the items / partitions you wish to flash then click OK
Wait for the writing process to complete
Once successful, you should get a "Write Completed" message
You can now disconnect and power on the phone.

Important Notice

Miracle Box ideally requires a hardware dongle / box to work. Merely installing the setup without the hardware won't work unless you're using a loader version
If this method fails to work for any reason then you can always flash using Research/ Upgrade download tool
If you get the inactive start button error when using Miracle Box, then see the Miracle Box inactive start button fix
Miracle box + Loader will not work for most newer SPD chipset phones, you would need the latest version of Miracle Box to flash newer SPD chipsets
After flashing successfully, first boot takes a while
Miracle Box can only flash firmware in .PAC or .Mira format. If the firmware you downloaded is in zip format then unzip to view and use it's content
If you're using the Miracle Box loader version then you might get a warning from your Antivirus. While this is usually nothing to worry about and you would have to either temporarily disable your Antivirus or white list the Miracle Box loader to get it to work, you are entirely responsible for your action

How To Enable Automatic App Updates On iPhone

It’s pretty fair to say that the average iOS device user has a significant number of third-party apps installed on their device. Regardless of whether it’s an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad; the chances are that the user has browsed through the App Store, found the apps that interest them and gone through the installation process multiple times. Not only does installing different apps mean enhanced functionality on the device, but it also means that sooner or later there will be a large amount of updates for those apps that filter through from the App Store. We should all know from experience that those little App Store badges can become quite annoying if the update isn’t installed right away.

The new Auto App Updater package on Cydia for jailbroken devices is more of a fully-functioning app instead of a small system based tweak, but there is obviously no way that Apple would allow it to reside on the App Store for various reasons. The core functionality of the app basically allows all App Store updates to be automatically and immediately downloaded and installed to the device.

After the package has been installed, it is necessary to head on over to the native Settings app to fine tune the app and make sure that it performs to our own specifications. Available options include being able to toggle the package on or off, as well as set an update interval that will check for updates and install based on the specified time. It is also possible to ensure that the app only downloads any available updates when the device is connected to a wireless network rather than a cellular data connection.

One of the great features of Auto App Updater is that is also allows users to retrospectively go back into the package and see the change logs that accompanied any download. Rather than going through a stream of automatic downloads and then worry about what new features were included, it is possible to get access to everything through a historical timeline.

The Auto App Updater package is available as a $2.99 download from the ModMyi repository and requires a jailbroken device running iOS 6.1 or above.

How To Boot Your PC Directly From Any Android Device

If you regularly enjoy modding your Android smartphone or tablet by running custom ROMs and such, it stands to reason that your tendency to dabble would also stretch to your computer. XDA Forum Member FrozenCow has, it would seem, taken this idea of a ‘modding mentality’ to the next level in the development of his DriveDroid app which, as the name implies, allows an Android device to double up as a convenient boot device for your computer.

Once DriveDroid has been installed, you can then use your smartphone or tablet to boot your PC into numerous operating systems from image files such as .ISO or .IMG. As if that wasn’t convenient enough a feature, users also needn’t bother with the rigmarole of downloading images to the PC and transferring over to the device – DriveDroid features its own, nifty little menu offering a bunch of distros ready to download straight to your device’s SD card.

It’s nice, particularly from a modder’s point of view, to be able to perform a boot straight from a device. If anything, it’s a geek’s dream. However, there are also very practical uses associated with having a booting-from-device option – a complete recovery can be kept by your side at all times. This means, of course, that if you’re a frequent traveller and want to recover / boot a particular distro at any given moment, you needn’t unnecessarily lug around a USB drive or CD / DVD.

It’s a fledgling project, so don’t expect miracles, and the app does rely on the kernel’s ability to support USB mass storage mode. However, since most kernels in fact do support UMS (it’s usually just a case of enabling it), users should not have a problem getting started with DriveDroid. Also, the app automatically checks whether UMS is enabled on the first run, and will run you through the steps on how to do so if, as may well be the case, UMS is in fact disabled.

If you wish to check it out, you may download it from the Play Store from the link given below. As I say, it’s currently a work in progress, and unless you’re a pretty seasoned developer / modder, you’d probably better skip this app until some of the kinks have been ironed out.

(Source: DriveDroid for Android on Play Store)

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Boot Computer from Android Phone

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you didn’t have a flash drive handy? Well, the other day I was trying to re-install Windows on my laptop, and sure enough, my USB flash drive conveniently went missing. Luckily, I was able to use my Nexus 5 to mount the ISO and boot my laptop from it. So here’s how you can boot computer from Android phone:

Boot Computer from Android Phone

2 minute read

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Dave Bennett

What You’ll Need:

A rooted Android Device
Laptop or Computer that can be booted from USB
Drive Droid

Step 1: Select Image File

In order to mount an image or iso file from your phone, you’re going to need to use a special app called Drive droid. Download it from the Play Store. After you launch Drive Droid, it will scan for any available images on your device (located in downloads/images). If you don’t have an image, you can download one of many Linux distributions available. Go to the plus icon and select the option to download an ISO.

Mounting Windows:

If you don’t plan to use a Linux distribution and want to mount a Windows image instead, you first need to create a blank disk image. Allocate the appropriate size that you need and hit done to create the image.

Now go to the plus icon and choose the option to add image from file. Navigate to /downloads/images and select your newly created image file.

Then select the image and mount it as a writable USB. Connect your phone to your computer. You should see a blank drive.

Finally, download a free program called Rufus. Inside of Rufus select your Windows iso file and make sure the write location is set to the blank drive. Then hit write.

Once that’s done, follow the rest of this tutorial.

Step 2: Mounting the Image/iso

Now tap on the image or iso file, and select to mount it as a writable USB. (If this doesn’t work, change it to CD-Rom). If you’re using an Image file (using the Windows Method above, then you first must manually add the image before you can mount it).

Step 3: Booting

Connect your phone to your computer or laptop and make sure the boot order is set to boot from the USB. If all goes well, your computer should boot from the operating systen mounted on via Drive Droid.