Google will soon let developers offer Android apps in the Chrome Web Store, and that's why they released the ARC Welder tool which allows you to run Android apk in Chrome. ARC (Android Runtime for Chrome) welder is basically designed for developers so that they can easily test their applications. The good thing is that any Chromebook user can install Android apps. That being said, however, we warn you that not all Android apps can be installed by ARC Welder as it is still in beta stage. If you want to try the Android app on the Chromebook, follow these steps.
Contents1. Installing the ARC Welder app from the Chrome Store2. Download Android3 APK files. Start using ARC Welder to load and run Android apps4. ARC5 welder configuration. Launching the app
APK is the file extension associated with the Android application. Instead of going to Google Play and installing the apps directly, we need to download the installer package file separately. Apkmirror is one such source that handles .apk files covering almost all Android apps, and it is by far one of the least risky ways to download an Android app.
For convenience, we suggest you collect all the .apk files you need in one folder.
Once you've armed yourself with the apps, all you need to do is head to the Chrome app launcher and click on the ARC welder icon. The ARC Welder has a clutter-free user interface that includes an “Add your APK” button. Clicking on it will take you to the file manager where users can select the .apk file.
Frankly, there's not a lot of tinkering to do as the settings are pretty much standard for all apps. It takes into account your preferences, which include orientation (Landscape or Portrait mode), form factor (tablet mode seems to be best as it scales without any issues) and clipboard access permissions. /P>
So here is the moment of truth. Press the "Launch App" button and the app will open in a new window. The app will feature the same functionality as the Android counterparts. Not all apps work perfectly, and some apps don't load at all. Another downside is that apps that require Google Play Services won't work.
Users will find it difficult to use apps that require touch-intensive features. We tried using apps like Slack which worked perfectly without any issues. We hope Google will soon start offering officially ported apps for the Chromebook, giving it a much-needed productivity boost.
