Are you searching of the best Android emulator for Kali Linux? You can download and install Android apps on your Kali Linux without uninstalling any OS. You need to follow the guide to complete the installation.
If you happen to be a tech-geek and a technology enthusiast that hates using the ordinary, simple, and easy-to-use operating system such as Microsoft, chances are that you might already have Linux installed on your personal computer.
Although Linux is considered as a sophisticated OS that fails to please everyday computer users, you as a tech expert willing to accept a challenging environment are aware of what treasures it holds.
In this article, we tend to help you gain some more insight on another cool aspect of the Linux OS which is about using the Android emulator on Kali Linux.
What is an Android emulator?
An Android emulator is software that imitates or creates a virtual environment as a guest, on another platform also known as the host, to enable running Android apps on it.
Just like the screen of your Android smartphone, a similar or the same user interface in a window appears on the screen of your personal computer with the same menu and icons.
An emulator can be a great way to run and experiment with high-utility apps in a similar virtually created environment with much-advanced hardware and software support. This helps when the native
system or device, such as an Android smartphone, in this case, lacks some specifications and therefore isn’t able to run an app on its own.
Android emulator for Kali Linux
There are a few goods and reliable Android emulators for Kali Linux. However, before moving on to them, it is important to make sure that your Linux system has a virtual machine installed on it. This is because most Android Linux emulators require having a virtual machine for a smooth run.
Virtual machines are another type of software that is used to run an operating system (for example Android emulator as in this case) inside another operating system (for example Kali Linux as in this case).
The most commonly known virtual machine used for running Android emulators is the VirtualBox from Oracle.
How to install VirtualBox on Linux?
Having the latest version of VirtualBox is always a good idea and therefore if your Linux system already has some previous version of it installed, it is better to uninstall it first and then move on to downloading and installing the latest version.
To uninstall the previous version of VirtualBox, use the following command –
“$ sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-4.3*” (4.3 is the VirtualBox version currently installed on your system. Replace it if needed)
Once successfully uninstalled, it is time for you to install the current version of VirtualBox. To do this, use these commands –
$ sudo sh -c ‘echo “deb https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib” >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list’
$ wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add – $ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install virtualbox-6.0
(Again, 6.0 is the version of VirtualBox. Replace it with the latest stable version.)
To run the VirtualBox on your Linux system, use the following command in the terminal-
# VirtualBox
Now that VirtualBox is successfully installed and running smoothly, it is time to find the right Android emulator for Kali Linux.
List of Best Android emulator for Kali Linux
The following section contains the top 4 best Android emulators for Kali Linux-based systems.
- Android-x86
- Android Virtual Device (AVD)
- Bliss OS
- Anbox
- Jar of Beans
- Bliss
- Andy OS
- Android SDK
- ARChon
- Shashlik
Android-x86

Price- Free
With an x86 architecture, Android-x86 is a well-known Android emulator that provides full support for Google services. By having a separate ISO, Android-x86 can boot independently as an Android operating system.
It is perfectly capable of running most of the games and other apps on the Google Play Store.
Features of Android-x86
- Has support for G-sensor and Bluetooth.
- Boots independently instead of installing itself in conjunction with another operating system.
- Easy-to-use interface, almost like any Android smartphone.
- Supports external storage.
- Free Android Virtual Device (AVD) If you are an Android app developer looking to test your apps through multiple ways and features on both software and hardware levels, then the Android Virtual Device is the right choice. Just as its name suggests, it practically is an Android emulator capable of providing the same environment as any Android smartphone. It is an all-in-one solution to simulate, test, and debug different features of your app. Features of Android Virtual Device (AVD).
- Easy to test and debug Android apps on a broader and wider level.
- Being a Google product, it is equipped with the most recent debugging, testing, and simulation tools.
- Supports taking screenshots and screen recording.
- Navigation gestures.
- Supports connecting external devices to transfer data through USB.
- Free Bliss OS Another advanced and much reliable Android emulator with a powerful user interface and easy customization options is Bliss OS. Whether you run Linux on a personal computer or a tablet, Bliss OS provides high speed and more stable options to run and test Android apps.
- Comes with the option to use themes and customize your screen.
- Works with PC system and tablet both.
- Capable of running ARM and ARM64 based applications.
- Free to use
Anbox

Anbox is another excellent option for developers to test-run their apps. Although Anbox is not actually like any typical Android emulator, it works more like a GNU/Linux layer.
Besides not supporting the Google Play Store feature, the installation process of Anbox is also a bunch of complexities that only pro-users having a good understanding of both Linux and Android emulation should use.
Features include –
- It is secure and scalable.
- It is an open-source project.
- It is also available as a cloud-based version.
- It provides support for APK applications.
- Free.
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