How to install using Archon Custom Runtime

Archon Custom Runtime is an extension for the desktop version of Google Chrome, created by the independent developer “Vladikoff”. It works as an environment in said browser, where you can run Android applications or APKs. The only requirement is that you have the 64-bit version of Chrome installed on your PC.

Once Archon is installed, you will have to load the APK you want to run as if it were an extension, but first it must be pre-treated so that it is “recognized” by the browser. You can do this on your own, just get these “APKs” on Reddit or use an app that gives them this one-tap treatment.

How to install ARChon Custom Runtime

1. Download this ZIP file and unzip to the desktop. The result will be a folder named vladikoff-archon-44bc9ba24037.
2. Open the Google Chrome extensions page (chrome://extensions) and check the box “Developer mode”.
3. Click on the button «Load unzipped extension» and in the file explorer that will appear, find and select the folder vladikoff-archon-44bc9ba24037 which was unzipped in the first step.

Load and run the APK in Chrome

For now I will use the APK already converted into an extension of the 2048 game for Android that you only have to install in Chrome. Later I will show you where to get or how to create these “APKs”.

1. Descargar this converted APK (archivo .ZIP).
2. Unzip the ZIP on the desktop (the result will be a folder named com.uberspot.a2048.android).
3. Open the Chrome extensions page again, click on the button «Load unzipped extension», find and choose the folder com.uberspot.a2048.android.
4. Ignore the warning messages and click on the “Start” link to run the game.

How to get or create an «APK» for Chrome

1. Reddit

A reddit users are publishing already converted APKs of various applications, ready to be installed in Chrome as indicated above.

2. Chrome APK Packager

This Android application is available at XDA-Developers and it is capable of converting the installed applications and APKs saved in the memory into ZIP files that you can upload to Chrome as I indicated before.

3. chromeos-apk

This much more tedious alternative is a tool that you must install in the operating system in order to convert an APK into an extension for Chrome using text commands.

Windows

1. Install the “Stable” node.js .msi utility from here.
2. Restart the PC (this is important!)
3. Open a terminal window (type cmd in the search box of the start menu and press Enter) and type the following command:

npm install chromeos-apk -g

4. Press Enter to execute this command

OS X y Linux

1. Run the command sudo apt-get install npm (For Ubuntu run the following command: sudo apt-get install lib32stdc++6)
2. Descargar node.js (nodejs.org)
3. Unzip the .tar.gz file obtained in the download.
4. Open a terminal window in the unzipped folder containing node.js and run the following commands in order:

./configure

make

make install

5. Restart the computer and after that run this command sudo npm install chromeos-apk -g
6. To finish and obtain the latest version of the tool, run the following command:

sudo npm install -g chromeos-apk@latest

How to use chromeos-apk to generate APKs

Once chromeos-apk is installed, the first thing to do is get the APK of the desired Android application (here are several tools for that). Then, open a terminal window in the folder where that APK is (in Windows, press Shift + Right click on an empty space in the folder. Click on “Open command window here”). Then run the following command:

chromeos-apk nombre.de.paquete.apk

Obviously you should change “package.name.apk” to the name of the application package.

This will generate the folder or “extension” for Chrome that only needs to be installed or loaded in the browser in the same way as mentioned before. That is, on the extensions page, use the option “Load unzipped extension” and then choose the folder.

4. From a «template»

This is the most technical method:

• Download the APK of the desired Android application from Google Play. Write down the “package name” of the application (to know this, for example, if the URL of the application in Google Play is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.angrybirds, the package name will be com.rovio.angrybirds).
• Descargar is ZIP and unzip it. Of the resulting content, only the folder is of interest _template that is inside (forget the rest of the content). Copy this folder to the desktop and rename it: put the name of the application package pointed out before (example: com.rovio.angrybirds)
• In the folder you just renamed (com.rovio.angrybirds, in our example), put the APK file obtained at the beginning in the following path: com.rovio.angrybirds/vendor/chromium/crx (It should be inside the crx folder).
• Open the file manifest.json which is inside the renamed folder and edit it (open it with a text editor) to fit the downloaded APK. For our example, these are the parameters to change:

* Delete the «Key» parameter
* apkList: The exact name of the downloaded APK file must go here (Example: com.rovio.angrybirds.apk)
* name: Here is the name of the application package that was targeted at the beginning (Example: com.rovio.angrybirds)
* packageName: goes the same as name (Example: com.rovio.angrybirds)

Note: By default, the formFactor and orientation parameters have the values ​​of “phone” and “portrait” respectively. In case the application does not run and gets frozen in the Android logo when opened, its alternative values ​​can be used:

* “FormFactor”: “phone” (alternative value would be “tablet”)
* “Orientation”: “portrait” (alternative value would be “landscape”)

Finally load the folder as an extension in Google Chrome in the way I already indicated.

Conclution

Archon Custom Runtime is not a foolproof tool. Many APKs may not work. Although I recommend using APKs from Google Play, this is not a guarantee. In my case, for example, applications like WhatsApp and Retrica did not work (they opened and closed immediately). Games like 2048, Angry Birds, and Duet all ran smoothly. If it doesn’t work for you, I suggest trying the extension ARC Welder which has a similar purpose.

Source: Github

Note: Article written in 2014, updated to the date indicated in the heading. Some comments may refer to old versions of this article.