Jul 07, 2021 Best Android Emulator For Mac. ARChon is a little different than most of our best Android emulators for PC or Mac in that this one is actually a Google Chrome extension. Go to sdk folder, then go to tools. Copy your apk file inside the tool directory./emulator -avd myEmulator to run the emulator on mac./adb install myApp.apk to install app on the emulator But when I run './emulator -avd phoneEmulator' (phoneEmulator is the name of my emulator) it just displays. List Of Top 14 Android Emulators. Comparison Of Top 5 Android Emulators For PC And MAC. #1) BlueStacks Emulator. #2) Android Studio Emulator. #3) Remix OS Player Emulator. #4) Nox Player Emulator. #5) MEmu Emulator. #7) Genymotion Emulator.
- Go to the Tools menu -:Android - AVD Manager: If no emulator has been created you should start with this screen: Click the Create Virtual Device button. In the Select Hardware window, select Nexus 5 as shown in the following snapshot: Click the Next button.
- I will get you through the two big steps in order to install and root an Android emulator on your computer, which is the basis of an Android pentest. Ok, enough talking, let’s jump to the interesting part.
Mobile applications became an essential part of our lives, somehow we are dependent of them. We are using a lot of mobile applications every day. If you are lost in a new city, Google Maps gets you out of this situation. or if we want to make an appointment to the hairstylist, mobile applications assist us in our daily tasks.
It comes natural to us to use applications for everything that we need so it’s good to know that some applications might have security issues, and even know how to test their security.
Therefore, what if you want to learn how to do a mobile penetration test? Where would you begin? I recommend you to start from this article.
I will get you through the two big steps in order to install and root an Android emulator on your computer, which is the basis of an Android pentest.
Ok, enough talking, let’s jump to the interesting part. 💪
What would you need?
A rooted Android phone. What if you don’t have an Android Phone?! You should not worry about that, you can use an emulator of an Android device – which can be installed on your personal computer. An emulator is hardware or software that allows your computer (called the host) to behave like another system (called the guest). Emulation refers to the ability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate another device. The emulator setup was tested using Ubuntu 18.10 – as the host and Android 7.1.1 – as the guest.
What steps should you follow in order to have your Android emulator?
1.Download the Android system image. You can do that by using Android-Studio.
Download and install Android Studio from here:
https://developer.android.com/studio/install
- Open Android-Studio , and select the AVD manager from the Tools tab.
- In the newly tab that have been open hit the “ Create Virtual Device ” button.
- Chose a device definition, (I have chosen Nexus 5X), and hit the “Next” button.
- Under the “x86 tab” , Select Android 7.1.1 ( Google APIs ) and hit “Download” button.
- After the download is finished, you can press the “ Next ” button.
- In the new tab opened, you can choose a name for your virtual device under the AVD Name field, all the other settings can be left as default. After that, you can hit the “ Finish” button.
- You might want to close Android Studio now, as the system image was already created.
2. Let’s turn on and root the emulator
- Open the Ubuntu terminal and type the following command:
$SDK_PATH/emulator/emulator -avd Your-emulator-name -writable-system -selinux disabled -qemu -enable-kvm
- The bold values should be changed according to your system. By default, after the installation of Android-Studio, the SDK_PATH is located in your home folder.
On my system, the following command is working:
$~/Android/Sdk/emulator/emulator -avd My-first-emulator -writable-system -selinux disabled -qemu -enable-kvm
- After the booting process is completed, on your desktop should be as in figure 3.
Install Android Emulator Mac Free
- Now, you have to open a new tab in the Ubuntu terminal and install adb.You can do that by typing the following command: $ apt install adb
Adb – Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command-line tool that lets you communicate with a device. The adb command facilitates a variety of device actions, such as installing and debugging apps, and it provides access to a Unix shell that you can use to run a variety of commands on a device. [2]
- After the installation of adb is completed, you can type the following command :
$ adb root && adb remount
The previous command will Restart adbd as root and remount system as writable. Make sure you restart the adbd while the emulator is running. - The next step is to install the Superuser.apk application to our emulator.
SuperSU allows for advanced management of Superuser access rights for all the apps on your device that need root. SuperSU has been built from the ground up to counter a number of problems with other Superuser access management tools[3]. In order to do that you have to type the following commands in the Ubuntu terminal:
$ git clone https://github.com/0xFireball/root_avd
$ cd root_avd/
$ adb install SuperSU/common/Superuser.apk
- At this stage, you should have the application SuperSU installed to the emulator. Next, you have to type the following commands in Ubuntu terminal:
$ adb push SuperSU/$ARCH/su /system/xbin/su
Instead of the bolded text $ARCH, you should type the architecture of your downloaded system image. In my case, the architecture is x86, so the following command will work for me, and should work for you too – if you downloaded the same system image as I did – $ adb push SuperSU/x86/su /system/xbin/su
In order to finish the rooting process you have to enter some more commands in terminal.
$ adb shell chmod 0755 /system/xbin/su – This command will update permissions of the file that have been pushed in the previous step.
$ adb shell setenforce0 This command will Set SELinux to Permissive mode.
$ adb shell su –– install This command will Install SuperSU’s su to system.
$ adb shell su –– daemon& This command will Run SuperSU’s su as daemon.
Finally, you can now open the superSU application on the emulator. The application will display the following message: The SU binary needs to be updated. Continue? Hit “ Continue” and use normal installation.
An error message is possible to de displayed : Installation failed ! Please reboot and try again. Don’t worry about it, hit the “OK” button and you will have a rooted Android emulator.
At this stage, your emulator should be rooted, but I recommend you to type the following commands in your terminal, otherwise, Superuser may not always persist after reboot:
$ adb shell – This command will open a root shell from your emulator.
$ su –daemon& – This command will Run SuperSU’s su as daemon.
That’s it.
Your emulator should be rooted now, even if you reboot it. Next time you want to open your emulator, just type the command:
$~/Android/Sdk/emulator/emulator -avd My-first-emulator -writable-system -selinux disabled -qemu -enable-kvm
If you got here, well done!
You have just installed and rooted an Android emulator, on your personal computer. This is the first step in order to do mobile penetration testing, without having a physical Android device.
Write to us, in the comment section below, if the process went well for you or you have encounter any sort of problems. ✍️👇
If you already heard about an Android Emulator, you might be wondering why people are going crazy over it. Android emulators are software that enables users to access the interface of an Android phone using a computer. Typically, software developers use this technology to test run an app that they will release. Another useful thing about an emulator is that you can literally play an exclusive Android mobile app game using your computer’s keyboard and mouse. So, if you’re a newbie who’s just curious to try one, or a developer trying to find the best Android emulators, this post is perfect for you. Continue reading it, and let us all discover it.
How to Use Android Phone on PC with 5 Emulators below
Nox
NoxPlayer claims to be the perfect Android emulator Mac. It promises superior performance and smoother control due to its Multi-Instances function. It is available for Windows computers running from XP to the 10 version. For Mac computers, Nox is available for version Sierra 10.12/10.11. Additionally, this emulator adapts Android version 7, allowing you to install more apps. Nox adapts the key mapping technology allowing you to type using your computer’s keyboard and send messages to your contacts. You can never go wrong with this emulator if you’re an avid phone gamer. Nox is supported by giant gaming companies like Garena and Lilith Games.
BlueStacks
A considered popular Android emulator for Windows and Mac is BlueStacks. Users can install this Android emulator if they have Microsoft Windows 7 and above. On the other hand, Mac owners must update their computers to OS version 10.112 (Sierra) or higher. BlueStacks boasts over 1 billion downloads from different users worldwide. It claims that anyone can play or install more than 2 million Android apps and games with ease. Another good thing about BlueStacks it can show a display of the Android screen for up to 2160p UHD video quality. Lastly, you can also translate the emulator’s language, and it will sync to the Android apps installed.
MEmu
If you’re looking for a high-performance Android emulator for PC, try MEmu. For Windows PC, it is accessible for OS 7 and above. However, MEmu is not yet available for Mac computers. The emulator boasts that it has twice GPU power more than its main competitors. In fact, users can customize the CPU and memory usage if they prefer a better performance. This function is available for high-end computers and expects to use an Android interface without lag. Furthermore, it is equipped with OpenGL and Direct 3D rendering technology, making the image and video quality higher perfect for bigger screens.
LDPlayer
The last Android studio emulator on this list is LDPlayer. Windows PC users can install the emulator if they have version XP or above. However, LDPlayer is not available if you don’t have any graphics card on your PC. Also, a Mac version of the emulator is not yet existing. LDPlayer is more focused on its gaming functions. Additionally, LDPlayer lets you open several apps and games simultaneously and experience minimal or no lag at all. It boasts high FPS to ensure you’ll experience the best graphics available while playing games. Finally, users can set the FPS for up to 120.
ApowerMirror
If you’re looking for an alternative Android emulator Windows 10 and Mac, ApowerMirror is the perfect choice for you. The tool is a mirroring application that is available to install for both Android and iOS smartphones. The unique thing about ApowerMirror is that it provides other functions other than just being a plain Android emulator. It is perfect for streaming since it records your screen, takes screenshots, and takes notes without hassle. More so, it allows you to control the Android phone entirely on the PC. Not only in playing games, but you can also send messages and use Android apps with ease.
How to Play Mobile Game on PC using ApowerMirror
- Download and install ApowerMirror on your Android phone and PC.
- Next, launch the app on both devices. Then, use your Android phone, tap the mirror button, select the PC’s name, and then hit Start now. You can also connect the phone and PC via USB cable to control it.
- Once the Android is mirrored to the PC, open any mobile game (Clash of Clans, Garena Free Fire, etc.) and start playing it on your computer.
Tip:
Aside from the fantastic features provided above, ApowerMirror still has some tricks left in its bag. It is recommended to use the app, especially if you’re trying to cast on Smart TVs to access your Android device on a larger screen. On the other hand, if you want to transfer your apps and files from your Android phone to PC, it is possible with ApowerManager. This recommended app can even backup your contacts and messages and save them on your computer. It is the perfect app if you want to transfer and save your phone files to your PC.
Conclusion
Android emulators really rose to popularity thanks to the unlimited mobile games that you can play. With that, you can choose any emulator provided above and will surely provide you the best Android gaming experience. Nevertheless, it is still safe to say that ApowerMirror should be the best Bluestacks Android emulator alternative because of the excellent features reviewed above.