anbox

Run Android applications on Linux

TLDR

Launch Anbox into the app manager

$ anbox launch --package=org.anbox.appmgr --component=org.anbox.appmgr.AppViewActivity

anbox runs Android applications on any Linux operating system. It puts the Android operating system into a container, abstracts hardware access, and integrates core system services into a Linux environment.

PARAMETERS

launch

Launch an Android application

session-manager

Start the session manager that runs the Android container and graphics stack

container-manager

Start the privileged container manager (usually run as a system service)

system-info

Print information about the host system and Anbox configuration

--package

Specify the Android package name to launch

--component

Specify the component/activity to launch

CAVEATS

Anbox requires kernel modules (ashmem, binder) and a properly configured container environment. Not all Android applications are compatible due to the lack of Google Play Services. The upstream project was archived in February 2024 and is no longer maintained; Waydroid is the recommended successor for desktop Linux.

HISTORY

Anbox (Android in a Box) is an open-source compatibility layer that allows Android apps to run on Linux. Development began around 2017 as an alternative to Android emulators. The project was archived as read-only on February 13, 2024.

RESOURCES

Source code · Homepage