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  • Any emulator that lets you run GrapheneOS?

I sometimes want to run some Android apps on my desktop--everyone has recommended BlueStacks, but that's basically spyware packaged with an emulator and starts running all sorts of system services, plays ads, etc. Add the fact that you're running stock Android and it's phoning home constantly and some of the security issues with signing into an Android device that you can't carry with you (and Google thinks you should always have access to in order to get a new single-use code or interact to prove you're you) and it's a poor substitute.

But, if I could run a virtual Android device with GrapheneOS, then that would be ideal since all the privacy issues associated with the emulator and with the OS itself would be moot.

Thanks in advance for your help!

  • de0u replied to this.

    This has been asked before, and as I recall, the answer was “no”.

    (if this is wrong, mods please remove it)

    • de0u replied to this.

      JustTooKrul But, if I could run a virtual Android device with GrapheneOS, then that would be ideal since all the privacy issues associated with the emulator and with the OS itself would be moot.

      The AOSP build system, and thus the GrapheneOS build system, can build "emulator" targets, but they are most likely not what you are looking for, because they are focused on tasks that developers have, such as debugging applications under construction. The emulator targets don't behave exactly the same way as the Pixel targets (for example, I think the number of secondary profiles is much smaller for the emulator builds). Meanwhile, the emulator doesn't implement the strong security guarantees of the Pixel hardware security processor.

      Blastoidea This has been asked before, and as I recall, the answer was “no”.

      There is a particular narrow/technical sense in which the answer is "yes", but as far as I know the answer to the original question posed is "effectively no".

        8 months later

        Sorry for hijacking the topic but…

        de0u the GrapheneOS build system, can build "emulator" targets, but they are most likely not what you are looking for, because they are focused on tasks that developers have, such as debugging applications under construction.

        Are there any pre-build emulator images?

        I looked at https://grapheneos.org/releases and nightlies seems to mention "emulator" but that requires building it manually?

        • de0u replied to this.

          wojtek I believe the emulator must be built manually by interested individuals.

          I am not aware of nightly builds.