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The main disadvantage of using devices with the Windows Phone operating system is the rather limited set of mobile applications. If the various games and utilities available for Android smartphones have long won the recognition of users, then The assortment offered to owners of devices with a tiled OS still raises many complaints.
In connection with this situation, many people have a question about how to install Android on Windows Phone devices in order to gain access to more advanced features. Currently There are two ways to achieve this goal:
- flashing the device to initially boot the Android OS;
- using special tools that allow you to install and run Android applications directly in the Windows environment.
How to install Android on your smartphone with Windows Background?
There are two main methods for using firmware:
- direct installation of the Android OS into the memory of the mobile device and launch it when turned on;
- placement of the firmware on an external memory card and activation from the Windows environment.
Will be useful
Regardless of the option chosen, further return to loading the standard operating system is possible only when restoring data from a backup copy. Therefore, before starting the transition to Android, we make sure to back up your information. This procedure is performed using built-in Windows system functions or external utilities (you can use Titanium Backup or another similar program).
Next, you need to download and find the version intended for installation on a mobile device of a specific model. The name of the main operating system file that will be installed in the smartphone memory, has the form “Manufacturer-Model-Resolution-Day-Month-Year.NBH”, that is, first the brand and model of the device are indicated (in text), then the maximum screen resolution (in numbers) and the release date of this assembly.
In addition to the .NBH file, the firmware contains the following main elements:
- androidinstall.tar – OS file system manager;
- androidupdate.tar – Android update file;
- Initrd.gz. – responsible for loading the OS located on external media (activation from an SD card);
- Haret.exe – initiates the system startup process;
- Zimage – directly the core of the Android OS;
- Default.txt is a boot script that specifies the main system startup parameters.
The method is the simplest, but is fraught with frequent freezes and spontaneous restarts of the device.
note
Although booting is done from external media, returning to normal operation of “native” Windows is possible only after restoring from a backup copy; the standard “turn off/on” will not help here.
To activate Android from external media create any directory in the root of the SD card, copy all the firmware files there and run “Haret.exe”.
Preparation and process of firmware
The technology for installing Android on Windows devices is identical for most modifications and involves the following steps:
- We get root rights (unlimited access) to the smartphone. For this, specialized applications are used (iRoot, FramaRoot and others).
- Download and install the service program used to install the firmware. Each manufacturer's devices have their own software. For example, firmware on HTC smartphones is done using the Custom utility.
- We format the SD card for the FAT32 file system. It is recommended to use Class 10 memory cards to reduce the likelihood of problems and failures in the future.
- On the formatted card, create the “Andboot” directory, into which we copy two files from the firmware set: androidupdate.tar and androidinstall.tar. After this, be sure to remove the external drive from the smartphone!
- We connect the mobile device (without a card!) to the personal computer using a USB cable and transfer the installation program (the aforementioned Custom) and the system file with the .NBH extension to the hard drive.
- Launch Custom on your PC and simply follow the instructions that appear on the screen. The last step is to click the “Update” button (in the English interface – “Update”), after which the smartphone will complete the installation process and automatically reboot.
- However, the device will not be able to complete the restart process and will freeze. At this moment, insert the memory card removed in the previous steps, after which we simultaneously press the buttons to turn on the smartphone and lower the volume.
- The message “Hold down Volume Up or DPad center to launch installer” should appear on the screen. We fulfill the requirement: press the volume rocker or the center button of the joystick (if available).
- The installation mode for a new operating system is activated. In the menu that opens, select “Sys on NAND/Data on NAND” and run “Install System”. If your firmware package included an update file, then after completing the installation process of the system itself, click on “Install Update”.
- When all installation processes are completed, click on “Fix Permissions”, after which we send the smartphone to soft storage
Microsoft is actively promoting smartphones with its operating system. Of course, there are some unpleasant moments in the form of a significant number of shortcomings of Windows Phone, but Microsoft specialists are working hard to eliminate them and are constantly developing various updates.
For example, they recently created a utility designed to bring the functionality of their devices somewhat closer to the capabilities of Android smartphones. Thanks to the Project Astoria simulator, you can now run many Android programs on Windows phones.
Below are instructions on how to install an Android emulator for Windows Phone, with a detailed description of all the necessary steps.
Brief description of emulators for Windows Background
These applications, which simulate the Android software environment in order to be able to launch and operate its programs in the operating system of Windows Phone gadgets, can persuade a large number of people to make a positive decision on purchasing phones with Microsoft OS.
There are already many such simulators, and they are available on the global network for downloading and subsequent installation in smartphones from Microsoft.
They allow you to achieve the following benefits:
- Increase the capabilities of Windows smartphones through simulating the Android environment;
- Ensures the operation of programs that are created for Android devices;
- You have access to a huge number of applications to run on Windows Phone.
Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to using emulators, for example, low performance and a significant number of crashes.
The best emulators
If the user owns a device with a large screen, then one should definitely note the high quality of the Leapdroid application, which is one of the most reliable and provides the highest possible performance, which is why it is always popular among owners of Windows gadgets.
Also, “Nox App Player” has proven itself both in terms of stability and good performance.
In Windows Phone, a utility called “Project Astoria” copes well with its tasks, because it was developed directly by the Microsoft giant itself. At first it was planned to implement it in Windows 10, but for reasons unknown to us, the specialists of this IT giant decided to postpone the implementation for up to 1 year. 
Installation procedure for Astoria
If the owner of a Windows 10 smartphone decides to use Android applications on his device, then “Project Astoria” is currently the best choice for porting programs.
The following actions must be taken:
Note: in the case when the computer is running on the “Tenth” OS, the system will almost automatically enter all the settings to ensure stable synchronization of the smartphone with the PC.
Note: It is not uncommon for problems to appear at this stage. In this case, the user is simply required to launch the “Task Manager” on the computer, in which to find a running process called “wsconnect.exe”, select it and click on “End”.
Disabling the process in most cases allows the synchronization process to continue unhindered.
- The OS will display a message requiring you to enter the phone’s “PIN code,” which must be completed. After specifying the correct code, the synchronization procedure will end.
- In the console, print the full address of the directory location with the Astoria distribution downloaded from the Internet, for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools";
- Click “Enter”;
- Next, type “adp install” and indicate the name of the Android program in “apk” format;
An important digression: the installed Android program files must be placed in the same directory.
- Click "Enter";
- Wait for the utility to install on your phone.
- Then, as soon as the process is completed, you need to open the “Recently Added” list on your smartphone, where the installed programs will already be available for the user to run.
Today we wrote that one of the Windows enthusiasts was able to install Android applications on it without any modifications or changes. Almost immediately, the author published installation instructions, so you can try installing the APK on a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone yourself.
Attention: this procedure is intended only for advanced users who are not afraid of damaging their smartphone. You do all actions at your own peril and risk, and the responsibility lies only with you.
- Nokia Lumia 920
- Nokia Lumia 925
- Nokia Lumia 929
- Nokia Lumia 830
- Nokia Lumia 930
- Nokia Lumia 1520
- Nokia Lumia 635 1 GB RAM.
- Nokia Lumia 730
- Nokia Lumia 820
- Nokia Lumia 435
- Nokia Lumia 928
Installation procedure:
- Download and install Android SDK ADB and Wconnect tool.
- Unzip all files into one folder.
- Open the Wconnect folder and install the files IpOverUsbInstaller.msi as well as vcredist_x86.exe
- Open settings on your smartphone - update and security - for developers. Enable developer mode and device discovery.
- Go to the unpacked Wconnect folder, press Shift + right mouse button - open command line.
- Connect your smartphone via USB to your computer and enter wconnect.exe usb. Press Enter.
- After that, enter the pairing code.
- Go to the unzipped ADB folder and launch the command prompt in the same way. To make sure your device is successfully paired, type adb devices and press enter.
- Place the APK file in your ADB folder.
- At the command prompt, enter adb install .apk file name.
- Wait for the process to complete.
What if the application requires a cache?
- Install any Android file manager. Anyone capable of working with cloud storage will do.
- Log into your storage by first loading the cache of the application or game you need into it.
- Now download the cache to your device and place it in the desired folder using the installed Android file manager.
- Install the APK file you need and launch it. If you have positioned the application cache correctly, it will automatically find the files it needs and start.
What about applications that require Google Play services?
Apps that require Google Play services to function will not be able to run on Windows 10 Mobile, but you can try to patch them by removing the link to services. To do this you will need the GMaps Patcher utility. It also allows you to get the APK file needed for installation by downloading it from the Google Play store.
Don't forget that there are risks associated with installing Android apps this way, so you need to make sure you don't worry about damaging your device. But if you are extremely impatient to launch popular applications from the “green robot” on your smartphone, now you know how to do this. Hopefully Microsoft will share more details about Project Astoria in the near future.
Microsoft has recently been making great efforts to popularize its mobile platform, but, unfortunately, it cannot boast of any particular success. All the efforts of marketers and programmers are frustrated by the vicious circle in which Windows Phone finds itself: “users don’t come because of the meager selection of applications, and developers ignore them because of the small number of users.”
However, with the release of Windows 10, which, as we know, will be a universal system for all platforms, everything may change. Microsoft has come up with a radical way out of the trap in which their mobile devices find themselves. The Astoria project is a special tool for developers that is designed to make it as easy as possible to port and run Android programs on mobile devices running Windows.
The presentation of this project was scheduled for the fall of 2015 along with the final release of Windows 10 Mobile. However, something went wrong, and yesterday Project Astoria documentation and files leaked online. And this is some interesting information that has become public knowledge:
- Project Astoria will allow Windows 10 Mobile users seamlessly install Android applications in the event that they do not use Google Play services in their work. Otherwise, developers will still need to perform a small modification.
- Along with Windows, Project Astoria SDK will also be available for Mac, but at a later date.
- To install the application apk file you will need Java JDK (1.7 or older), Android Studio and the ability to work with Android Debug Bridge (adb).
- Currently, a limited list of devices is supported, but this will be expanded in the future. Here is the list: Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 925, Nokia Lumia 929 (icon), Nokia Lumia 830, Nokia Lumia 930, Nokia Lumia 1020, Nokia Lumia 1520, Nokia Lumia 635, Nokia Lumia 730, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 435 , Nokia Lumia 928.
Some curious users have already tried out the tools posted online and installed Android applications on devices running Windows 10 Mobile. It turned out that this process is very simple and accessible to almost any advanced user. You can see a detailed step-by-step guide in the following video. Links to the necessary files are provided in the comments to this video on YouTube.
This news cannot but please all owners of mobile gadgets running an operating system from Microsoft. Finally, they will be able to install any programs they need and stop envying the wealth of choice their competitors have. However, can this save the Windows Mobile platform? We invite you to express your opinion in the comments.
The smartphone market is growing at an unprecedented rate, which means there is a lot of money circulating here. All this prompted such a computer giant as Microsoft to start creating their own phones with the Windows Phone operating system. And although Microsoft has excellent marketing specialists, the Windows Phone operating system never became popular.
The reason for this was the lack of popular applications running on the Windows Phone operating system. Ordinary people don't want to buy such a phone because the app store is scarce, and app developers don't want to create them because Windows Phone phones aren't in demand.
How to run android apps on Windows Phone?
But what should people who have already purchased such a phone do, how should they use their favorite applications? Especially for such people, Microsoft developers and third-party specialists are creating special programs - Android emulators for Windows phone. They should enable Windows phone users to install and use applications based on the Android operating system.
Microsoft is most interested in solving this problem. The corporation itself has high hopes for the new version of the Windows Phone 10 operating system. As the developers themselves stated, this system should become truly universal and give a new impetus to the development of Windows phones.
All this thanks to a special Windows phone emulator application – Project Astoria. Initially, this program was supposed to be released along with the new Windows 10 operating system, but at the last moment the developers postponed its release for almost a year.
What does Project Astoria give to phone owners?
- Users will be able to freely install any applications based on the Android operating system.
- The program interface is simple and clear, so anyone can use the new product.
- The application is absolutely free, and you can download it directly from the official website.
How to use the Project Astoria app?
Initially, the application is compatible with devices that are not entirely compatible; the company’s specialists promised to improve the application. But in the end they decided to abandon the application. Now it is unknown whether work on the application will be restored or not. Despite this, new Windows phone models have all the necessary functions for installing Android applications. You can easily find step-by-step instructions for such an installation on the Internet, but remember, everything you do is done at your own peril and risk.
How to install an Android application on a Windows phone
You need to start the installation by setting up your phone. To do this, go to the settings menu, update and security, for developers. In the window that appears, check the Developer mode checkbox and enable device detection. Now you can connect your smartphone to your computer. If you use Windows 10 OS, the system itself will make the necessary settings and synchronize between devices.
If not, then download and install the Project Astoria emulator. After downloading, a folder with application files will appear. Now, through the command line, go to the windows search menu and enter: “cmd”, run as administrator.
Next, a window will appear, in it we write: cd c\\ user\\user name\\ downloads\\Tools. Press the “enter” key and type: wconnect.exe.usb and “enter” again. Now the device will synchronize with your personal computer. The program will ask you for your phone pin; you must enter it. Then copy the path to the folder with the Project Astoria application, and paste it into the previous window after “cd” and press “enter”.
In the next line we add: adp install and the full name of the android application. Now press the “enter” key and watch the installation of the application. You can use everything for your pleasure. As you can see, the installation is not that complicated and will not take much time.
Emulators for developers
Not only users need emulators, specialists developing applications for Windows phones test the performance of their programs on them.
Fortunately, the list of such emulators is large, they all have different capabilities.
Why do application developers need emulators?
- They give you the opportunity to test your application on the Windows operating system before launching the application in the online store.
- You can run an Android application directly in the emulator and convert it to any other OS.
Naturally, the emulator does not provide 100% guarantees, so it is better to test the application on a smartphone. But if you use it, it will take much less time and effort to create an application.