Alternatives to the Android Emulator

What is an Android Emulator?

The Android Emulator is a software program that emulates the Android operating system for smartphones. This software installs on your desktop computer and allows you to try out applications that you have developed for the Android operating system. You develop the software and then open it with the Android emulator on your computer. This allows you to work out any bugs that the software may have before you offer the application for sale on the Android Market.

BlueStacks

One way to try out Android applications on your computer is to use BlueStacks. BlueStacks is a software program that you can download to your computer which will allow you to play Android apps as if you were playing them on your smartphone. It is a free download and it allows you to play any Android applications that are installed on your system. You can also push apps that are installed on your phone to the platform via a cloud server.

Android x86

Android x86 is an open-source platform that allows you to emulate Android applications on your computer. This platform is free to download and it lets you test out your Android apps. The project was originally designed as a way to host patches that were created by developers, but it evolved into an entire platform that emulated the Android operating system on a computer. Some developers use it in conjunction with Virtual Box software.

Considerations

Instead of trying out your apps on the Android emulator, another option to consider is to test them out on an Android device. With the Android software development kit, you can upload apps that you develop onto your Android smartphone or tablet. Then you can test the app out to see if it works on a real device. The downside to this approach is that it can be tedious to fix small issues and then upload the newest version to the phone each time.