Google has announced a new tool that will let the Android developers to run the Android apps in Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The tool is called App Runtime for Chrome (ARC). This is a huge step by Google because currently, the developers had to use Android emulators like BlueStacks to run the apps. ARC will allow the developers to run and test any Android app directly in Google Chrome.
The news was first reported by Ars Technia. The ARC Welder in the new app lets the developers to convert any .apk file in the system and run it directly in the computer. This process is called ‘mobile to desktop’ conversion. The latest step from Google will boost the Android app development and speed up the development process.
One drawback of the new tool is that it does not support the Android 5.0 Lollipop version and only run apps that are developed for Android KitKat. Google may resolve this problem in the upcoming versions of the tool. Google’s new tool also supports all the Google services, Google Cloud, app patches and Google+ social media platform. This is also a great feature as most of the developers need the Cloud and social functionality to test any Android app in their computer or the testing environment.
Microsoft is about to release its Windows 10 platform. This OS will support one-in-all feature, where all the apps would run in the same style for mobile, desktop and tablet. Couple this with Google’s new tool, the app developers in the coming days would be able to produce responsive designs and apps from their Windows computer and all the problems regarding cross-platform development will be solved.