13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

HOME LEARNING VIDEOS SUBSCRIBE 

Android

Installing Anbox on Linux to Run

Android Apps
2 years ago • by Sidratul Muntaha

Anbox is an Android emulator that is available for any GNU/Linux operating system. An
android emulator offers the environment necessary for installing and running Android apps.
Such emulators do not offer the portability of an Android smartphone, but in exchange, more
powerful hardware can be used.In this article, we will show you how to install Anbox on Linux.

Anbox
Anbox, which stands for “Android in a box,” is an Android emulator available for GNU/Linux
operating systems. However, the term “emulator” might be misleading because Anbox does
not use virtualization to run Android. There are many other Android emulators, but Anbox
offers the following features:

Open-source: Anbox is an open-source project, and its source code is available under
Apache and GPLv3 licensing.
Performance: Most popular Android emulators run the Android system in a virtualized
environment, which causes reduced performance. Therefore, Anbox, which does not use
virtualization, performs significantly better when compared to similar emulators.
Security: Anbox runs Android apps in tightly contained boxes that cannot directly access
your data.
Integration: Anbox can run on any Linux distribution as long as the kernel comes with the
right modules. Furthermore, you can always enable the necessary modules on your own.

Installing Anbox
The Anbox installation consists of two steps. The first step is difficult because it requires
working with the kernel modules. However, once the kernel modules are set, Anbox will be
ready to go. For our demonstration, we will be using Ubuntu

Configuring kernel modules

Anbox is dependent on two kernel modules: ashmem and binder. For the latest version of any

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 1/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

distribution running the latest stable kernel, these modules should already be installed.

To verify if the kernel modules exist, use the following command:

$ ls -1 /dev/{ashmem,binder}

If they do not exist, then they have to be installed manually. To install these kernel modules,
your system must have dkms and linux-headers installed. Run the following distribution-
specific command to install them.

Debian:

$ apt install dkms linux-headers-amd64

Ubuntu:

$ sudo apt install dkms linux-headers-generic

For CentOS, RHEL, and derivatives:

$ sudo yum install dkms kernel-devel

For openSUSE, SUSE Linux and derivatives:

$ sudo zypper install dkms kernel-default-devel

Now, let’s install the Anbox kernel modules, which are directly available in the Anbox GitHub
module repo.

$ git clone https://github.com/anbox/anbox-modules.git

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 2/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

Run the installation script.

$ sudo ./INSTALL.sh

The modules must be manually loaded. Alternatively, you can restart the system to load them
by default.

$ sudo modprobe ashmem_linux && sudo modprobe binder_linux

Now, the following command can be used to show if there are two new nodes under the /dev
directory.

$ ls -1 /dev/{ashmem,binder}

Install Anbox snap

Anbox is available as a snap package. Therefore, this step will be identical for all distributions.
Snaps are universal Linux packages that can be run on any distribution. Check the official
snap documentation for the proper snap installation instruction on all supported distributions.

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 3/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

Run the following command to install the Anbox snap.

$ sudo snap install --devmode --beta anbox

Because Anbox does not have the full support of snap because it is still in beta, it must be
installed using -devmode. Consequently, the snap will not update automatically. To manually
update the Anbox snap, run the following command.

$ sudo snap refresh --beta --devmode anbox

Using Anbox
Launching Anbox
Anbox should appear on the app menu. In this example, it is directly accessible from the
Ubuntu menu.

This following image shows the base window of Anbox, which lists all the applications that are
currently installed.

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 4/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

Now, we will use the Calculator app.

Installing an app on Anbox

To install apps on Anbox, we have to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB). Run the appropriate
distribution-specific command to install ADB.

For Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives:

$ sudo apt install android-tools-adb

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 5/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

For Fedora and derivatives:

$ sudo dnf install android-tools

For Arch Linux and derivatives:

$ sudo pacman -S android-tools

For openSUSE, SUSE Linux and derivatives. Check out Android tools at openSUSE:

$ sudo zypper install android-tools

Once installed, run the following command while Anbox is running to launch the ADB server
and recognize Anbox as an Android device connected to the computer.

$ adb devices

By default, Anbox does not come with Google Play Store or any other app store installed. We
will use ADB to install APK packages on Anbox. Note that apps may not install and run if they
contain native binaries that are not compatible with the x86 architecture.

$ adb install <filename>.apk

Installing Google Play Store on Anbox

This process, which amounts to running a simple Bash script available on GitHub, is important
if you want a full-fledged Android experience. The script will install the Google Play Store
along with libhoudini, which is important for running ARM apps.

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 6/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

First, make sure that your system contains all the necessary dependencies to perform this
procedure. Run the distribution-specific command.

For Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives:

$ sudo apt install wget curl lzip tar unzip squashfs-tools

For Fedora and derivatives:

$ sudo dnf install wget curl lzip tar unzip squashfs-tools

For Arch Linux and derivatives:

$ sudo pacman -S wget curl lzip tar unzip squashfs-tools

Now, download the script.

$ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/geeks-r-us/anbox-playstore-installer/master/insta

Mark the script as an executable file.

$ chmod +x install-playstore.sh

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 7/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

Run the script.

$ ./install-playstore.sh

Once everything is complete, Anbox is ready to go!

As you can see, the Google Play Store has been installed.

Final thoughts
Anbox is a robust tool for running Android apps on Linux. However, the initial configuration
process is complex, and key mapping is lacking. If you can ignore these two flaws, Anbox is a
great Android emulator. However, if Anbox is not for you, don’t worry: there are various other
Android emulators. Check out the best ways to run Android apps and games on Linux.

Happy computing!

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 8/9
13/4/23, 15:54 Installing Anbox on Linux to Run Android Apps

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sidratul Muntaha
Student of CSE. I love Linux and playing with tech and gadgets. I use both
Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

View all posts

RELATED LINUX HINT POSTS

Best Android Emulators for Linux

in 2023

How to Access Android Recovery

Mode?

Top 5 Best Voicemail Apps for

Android in 2022

Top 7 Best Dialer Replacement

Apps for Android

How to Install Android Debug

Bridge on Linux to Manage your
Android Phone

How to Run Ubuntu on Top of

Android

How to Factory Reset Android

Phone When Locked

Linux Hint LLC, editor@linuxhint.com

1309 S Mary Ave Suite 210, Sunnyvale, CA
94087
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

https://linuxhint.com/anbox_linux_android/ 9/9