Macbook Pro Android Emulator

🕑 Updated on: September 4, 2021

Note: Most of this article was updated in August 2021. The Macbook Pro M1 I was using crashed and stopped working without any reason on August 25, 2021. In just seven months of use.

It took time to get it repaired. That forced me to buy another laptop. While setting up the new laptop, I thought it is an excellent time to update this post.

An emulator is a software that makes one system operate effectively like another system. There are various emulators one can use for running Android applications and games on their MacBook Pro. Nox is one of the best emulators for this purpose. Here’s how to use android apps on your MacBook Pro. Best Android emulators for Windows PC and MAC. First on the list is an Android 5.1 Lolipop based Android emulator for Windows PC. It is among the most customizable Android emulators for PC in the segment. The installation is quick and simple with no bloatware third-party apps to install like we come across in some emulators.

  1. Nox Emulator is a complete Android Emulator built for Windows and Mac and designed to enhance your gaming experience on PC. Nox Emulator is compatible with the latest version of Google OS – Android 7. With Nox Emulator, you can enjoy reliable support for any problems.
  2. Read This Informative Review Of Top Android Emulators You can Use In 2021 for an Enhanced Gaming Experiece. Select the Best Android Emulator From This List.

lol @apple started shipping used/damaged products to India by boxing them as NEW?
cc: @AppleSupportpic.twitter.com/hmgZwiS5Kl

— Aman Mittal ⚛️☕🖖🥑 (@amanhimself) August 26, 2021

I recently upgraded from Macbook Air 2017 to Macbook Pro with an M1 chip. My four-year-old Macbook Air was giving up. The performance to run heavy tasks like using the iOS simulator when developing and working on React Native apps was declining. I had long given up using the Android emulator and used an actual Android device for testing. December 2020 was the time I decided its time to upgrade.

I had a long internal discussion with myself for almost a month about whether I should upgrade to M1 or stick with Intel-based chips and spend them bucks. Don't get me wrong here, M1 is not cheap either as I did go for a RAM upgrade to max limits, which is currently 16GB in the base model.

After going through some online reviews and research, the kind of performance I was expecting has been worth it so far (it is fast, no doubt). I received it two weeks back when writing this post, and since then, I have installed all the necessary tools and utilities that help me work on Web development and React Native apps.

My local environment currently includes:

  • Homebrew (now supported Apple Silicon machines since 2.6.0)
  • Git
  • Node.js
  • npm
  • Zsh
  • Oh My Zsh
  • iTerm
  • Xcode
  • yarn
  • VSCode
  • Rosetta 2

OS apps:

  • Brave
  • Android Studio
  • Insomnia as REST API client
  • Xcode
  • Slack or Discord (for work and community)
  • There (to track team mate's timezone)
  • LICEcap (for gifs)
  • Zoom (for work)
  • GitHub Desktop App
  • Cleanshot (for screenshots)
  • Google Chrome
    • set to default
      • First things to do:
        • Log in to: Gmail, Twitter, GitHub, Outlook
        • Developer mode on
      • Extensions:
        • Grammarly
        • Toby to organize tabs

System Settings:

  • Disable Ask Siri
  • Disable Spotlight search except Applications, Calculator, Definition, and System Preferences.
  • Trackpad:
    • Fix direction: Scroll & Zoom > Natural off
    • Right click: Point & Click > Secondary Click
    • Disable dictionary lookup: Point & Click > Look up & data detectors off
    • More gestures > Swipe between pages off & App Exposé off
  • Finder settings:
    • Preferences > Advanced > Show filename extensions
    • Enable show path bar: View > Show Path Bar
  • Dock:
    • Turn auto hiding on

Copy dotfiles.

iTerm

My favorite terminal app that I have been using for years is iTerm. I am currently using two versions of iTerm on my setup. One with Rosetta 2 enabled and the default one. This way, I can only use the Rosetta 2 emulator when required. There are no performance issues I have found with using iTerm with Rosetta 2 for ARM-based applications.

If you'd like a similar setup, go to the Applications folder in your Macbook and duplicate the iTerm application.

You can rename the duplicated iTerm app. I have renamed it to iTerm_rosetta to differentiate between the two. Right-click the duplicated app and click Get Info. In the General, check the box where it says Open using Rosetta.

Now, if you open the second terminal, it will be using Rosetta 2 emulator by default.

Other iTerm profile settings that I use:

Recently I started using Jetbrains Mono font.

For the overall looks and appearance, I use Dracula Pro Color Presets created by Zen Rocha.

And my last favorite thing is to split the working directory into two more different tabs using Command + D for horizontal panes.

Make sure to have the following setting configured from

General > Working Directory > select Advanced Configuration > click button Edit.. > select Reuse previous session's directory under Working Directory for New Split Panes.

For terminal prompt, I use Spaceship ZSH.

Xcode

After installing Git, for me, the next step is to install Xcode app from Apple's App Store.

Then, install 'command line tools'. It is required by many of the formulae in Homebrew.

After installing it, make sure to open it for the first time, from the menu bar, open Xcode > Preferences > Locations and make sure that Command Line Tools point towards the current Xcode app.

Homebrew

M1 Mac Android Emulator

On December 1, 2020, the Homebrew team announced on their website about the version release 2.6.0. The most significant changes among others they listed were the support for macOS Big Sur, using brew commands instead of brew cask and beginning to support macOS M1 and Apple Silicon or ARM-based chips.

Using the terminal, you can install the Homebrew by executing the default command:

brew installs:

  • node/npm
  • scrcpy (control Android devices connect via USB on mac)
  • adoptopenjdk8 (required for React Native)
  • Karabiner-Elements (remapping function keys)
  • watchman (required for React Native)

What is Karabiner-Elements?

When I bought Macbook Air M1, it had function keys (that got me excited), but I don't understand why Apple decided to replace function keys that would allow me to control Keyboard Brightness?! And moreover, replace it with 'Do Not Disturb'.

Why? That got me confused 🤷

I found this tool called karabiner Elements that can be installed as a brew formula:

Here are the key mappings I am using now:

Git

I did install Git using brew command:

To authenticate GitHub to be used from the terminal environment, I'd recommend you to check out the official document on creating and accessing personal tokens.

🔥 Tip: As of Git version 2.28 there is a new config option to set the default branch to main. Set it globally and forget about it.

ZSH and Oh My Zsh

ZSH is the default shell in macOS Big Sur. However, I like to use Oh My Zsh to manage the ZSH configuration, plugins, and a theme to prettify the terminal.

To install, run the command below:

After installation, make sure that the file .zshrc is exporting the below path at the top:

Macbook pro android emulator windows

The first I like to do after setting up the bare minimum ZSH configuration is to install a plugin called zsh-syntax-highlighting. It provides syntax highlighting for the ZSH shell. Execute the series below commands in the terminal window:

This is my final ZSH configuration in the file ~/.zshrc file: Download buku harry potter and the cursed child bahasa indonesia.

After installing the syntax highlight plugin, it starts to recognize the commands:

VSCode

VSCode and VS Code Insiders are currently supported on ARM chips (as of March 13, 2021). Download the installer for Insiders edition from here and for VSCode here. Car instalment take over blacklisted.

I am still using the same VSCode configuration from my previous setup:

Themes

I usually like to switch between a dark and a light theme.

  • For the dark theme where I spent most of my time, I am was previously using morgan.codes-theme, but now I am using fairyFloss.
    • Other themes I switch between:
      • Quiet Light
  • For file icons, I love Material-Icon-Theme.
  • For terminal prompt, I use Spaceship ZSH.
  • Font: Jetbrains Mono font.

Extensions

I use VSCode editor for both writing code and writing blog posts. Thus, the list of extensions below is the combination of extensions that fulfills both of my purposes.

Global NPM Packages I use

  • gatsby-cli To build and test out my personal blog built with Gatsby.
  • npm-check to check for outdated, incorrect, and unused dependencies.
  • git-watch-log to watch a git repo and recent changes.

For React Native Development

  • install node
  • install Watchman to watch changes in the filesystem using the command: brew install watchman.
  • install following gems:
  • install Java Development Kit using the command: brew install --cask adoptopenjdk/openjdk/adoptopenjdk8.
  • Currently, I am using Arctic Fox Canary that supports Apple's based machines for Android Studio.
  • Then install Android SDK (I do not prefer AVD and use an actual device for testing)
  • scrcpy to display and control Android devices connect via USB on Mac.

⚛️ For more instructions on how to set up a development environment for React Native, please follow the official documentation here.

Rosetta 2

Update: I am not using the Rosetta environment to install anything on the secondary machine since August 2021. That is the reason I've mentioned it at the end of the post.

Rosetta 2 is the lifeline that allows you to run apps designed for Intel-based chips that use x86 architecture on ARM-based chips (in this case M1). This solution is provided by Apple in the form of an emulator and doesn't come pre-installed. You have to install it manually. Fire up the Terminal application that comes pre-installed on the Big Sur and let your first command to execute be:

If you decide not to put the flag --agree-to-license, you will be prompted by Apple's interactive install, and you will have to agree to their terms and license conditions to use it.

Conclusion

That’s the setup I now use for my JavaScript, Node.js, React and React Native. I think it's a good machine. Hopefully, M1 is just the beginning of a new era of powerful computers for daily work use 🤞

🤔 The only thing left for me is to find a way to transfer all laptop swag/stickers from my Macbook Air 2017 to Pro. I miss having them on this one.

isapplesiliconready.com is another helpful link I found to check what is compatible to work on Apple Silicon chips natively or using Rosetta or not optimized at all.

If you’re looking for the best Android emulator for Apple MacBook M1 Processor, you’ve come to the right site. We tested some emulators on a newly released processor called M1 Silicon, which is more powerful than other older MacBooks and provides 5X faster graphics.

This processor has a limited number of emulators available. Keep reading articles and selecting those that are appropriate for your needs.

It’s essential to know which emulator working on the new processor, a developer working hard to release software for M1, most popular software still not running on it. There can be several reasons to use an Android emulator on an M1. If you are an app publisher or want to test your application then emulators can run your projects.

You can also use it for free to play Android games and applications on your MacBook. Google PlayStore delivers more mobile-friendly and storytelling titles to its store, but it only supports the Android operating system and cannot be installed on macOS. The simulator is the solution.

Android Emulator For Macbook Air

What is an Android emulator?

Android emulator is software that enables an Android environment on a desktop PC. It lets you download and install apps, and the emulator creates a virtual operating system that works like a fully installed OS. You get pre-installed PlayStore to access unlimited applications.

Macbook Pro Android Emulator

It requires Windows or macOS platforms to run, there are various companies improving it to provide a good user experience.

Note (Don’t Download and Install these Android emulators Until it officially released for M1 Chip)

These emulators are not currently compatible with the MacBook M1 or the iMac M1, however, the emulator developer is working hard to make them compatible with the M1 CPU as soon as possible. We advise that you wait a few months; when they are launched, we will update this article.

Related: 15 Best Android Emulator for gaming and running apps

List of best Android emulator for MacBook M1 (Currently Not Working)

1. BlueStacks

BlueStacks is the leading Android emulator that has millions of trusted users around the globe. It enables your best performance while running heavy apps. BlueStack recently released its latest version that is 5, it’s 40% faster than other editions, uses less ram, and an enhanced game library. Unfortunately, BlueStacks 5 is currently supporting the Windows platform. But, it will launch soon for the MacBook M1, as long as you can try the 4th version.

Key Features

Android For Mac Os

System Requirements for BlueStacks 5

  • Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7/8/10
  • Processor: Intel or AMD Processor (Apple M1 in future)
  • RAM: 2GB at least
  • HDD: 5GB Minimum
  • Reliable internet connection

2. Nox App Player

Nox App Player is another Android emulator which supports the Apple M1 processor. It’s the most popular way to experience mobile gaming on the desktop without installing any operating system. The emulator works more effectively than BlueStack. If you have low-end PCs then it can be run smoother.

Perfect emulation software to test Android apps and games. It allows you to import and export apps from your Mac, you can also use a gamepad, script recording, and multiple tasking features to enhance your workflow. One of the best parts of this emulator, you will get regular updates.

Currently, the emulator might trouble installing on the M1 processor but developers will fix it soon.

Key Features

  • Works with Windows and macOS
  • Support low-end computers
  • Released monthly updates
  • Easy to install the application
  • Customize keyboard controlling
  • Support via email

3. Genymotion

Price: Free/ $Paid

Genymotion is another best Android emulator which supports the macOS platform. The emulator is specially designed for application testing, lots of developers use it to test and run their apps. It brings all features which a publisher requires.

Keep in mind one thing the emulator is not free like any other Android emulator. To use it, you need to purchase it from the official website.

Android Emulators Windows 10

It can simulate multiple scenarios, and also manipulate easity with ADB. It is a fast and stable option for those who want everything in one place. You can boost your development work, it allows GApps, Command line tools and Java API, automates your test with Genymotion cloud. Support team will help you to fix issues.

How to register key

Macbook Pro Android Emulator Windows 10

Macbook pro android emulator online

If you have purchased a Genymotion license key then you have to register it to use full features. Download and install the Genymotion emulator on your desktop then Sign in with your registered account, go to the Usage window Then click “I have a license” after that enter your unique key then click register. Now it lets you use all premium features.

System Requirements

Macbook Pro Android Emulator
  • Microsoft Windows 7/8/10 and macOS, Linux (x86_64 CPU)
  • Ram: At Least 4GB of ram
  • Free space: 400MB
  • Processor: Intel or AMD Processor (Apple M1 working)
  • Virtual Box 6.1.14

What if these emulators not working with your Mac?

Method 1:

You can download and install Windows 10 on your macOS to run Android emulators. It’s very simple to install Windows OS on Apple MacBook or iMac. Just you need an ISO file of Windows 10 and then run “BootCampAssistant“. It lets you use dual boot on your Mac without deleting the existing OS. This is one of the best ways to run an Android emulator on your M1 Processor.

Method 2:

If you don’t want to install Windows 10 on your macOS then you should try Android Studio to run Android apps on your M1 Chip. Here is complete video to for installation check it out.

Also Read:

These are the best Android emulators which you can try on your newly purchased MacBook Pro. If any case emulator does not work with your processor then you can contact the emulator’s supporting team. Tell them the issue and they will fix it.