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Chrome OS uses a specialized runtime that allows Android apps to run natively inside it. This means that its not an emulator or virtualization stack, but a proper runtime. In laymans terms, Chrome OS is using the same type of engine that Android uses to run software directly. So instead of a Genymotion-like situation where you have a whole Android phone running on your computer, here you can launch Android apps from the Chrome launcher.

To begin, well need to download the ARChon Custom Runtime. This is necessary to run Android apps in Windows, OS X, and Linux. While you can technically run Android apps in Chrome OS, youre currently limited to one of four apps. The methods in the rest of this article will run alternative apps by spoofing the signed key on those apps, but if you want to run any app youd like, download ARChon. Heres how:

1. Download the ARChon runtime here.

2. Unzip the archive.

3. Open your extensions page in Chrome by going to Menu => More Tools => Extensions

4. Enable Developer mode in the top right corner, if it is not already enabled.

5. Select "Load unpacked extension."

6. Choose the folder containing the ARChon runtime you unzipped earlier.

The ARChon runtime will now be running as an extension in Chrome. You may see a couple warnings like the following on the extensions page. However, these are normal and shouldnt affect your ability to run Android apps.

The quickest, most dead-simple way to get some working Android apps is to find some online. Forums like this subreddit are already working on getting some functional. However, this is a far cry from the 1.3 million apps on the Play Store. While most of those will probably remain out of your reach due to incompatibility issues, well also look at how to (try to) create your own.

Disclaimer: Distribution of modified apps is, generally speaking, some degree of copyright violation. In practice, theres little distinction between downloading a pre-modified app, and downloading the regular version and modifying it yourself. For this reason, its unlikely any developer of a free app will be too concerned if you download a pre-modified app to play around with. However, downloading a modified paid app is piracy. Please support developers and dont download modified versions of paid apps without paying for them. And, while it should go without saying, dont write a bad review or criticize the developer if an app is broken in Chrome. Youre on your own here.

Some helpful internet users have created a growing list of apps that work in Chrome. You can find download links in that document, or find more in communities currently working on Chrome APKs. Once you have a .zip file containing one of these modified APKs, heres how to install it:

1. Unzip the file and place the folder (likely named something like "com.twitter.android")
in a place you can easily find.

2. Open the Extensions page in Chrome.

3. Click "Load unpacked extensions"

4. Select the folder with the modified APK you downloaded.

The app will now appear in your list of Chrome extensions. If youre a particular fan of Chrome apps, you might also notice that a shortcut has been added to the Chrome app launcher. Depending on how it was packaged, it may have a benign Android icon and the package name instead of a proper app name.