How do I run Android's .apk files on linux without the Android emulator?

Question

I have a requirement, where I need to install the .apk files directly on my host PC, without the Android emulator. I want to install it directly on my Linux machine (x86 arch). I have a few noob questions with regard to the same:

• How is an .apk file organized?
  • Is it just one big binary file?
    • In this case, if I am using a phone with an x86 atom processor, does this mean that there will be a separate Android market segment which hosts apps ported to the x86 arch?
  • Is it an archive consisting of executables? (something like .rpm or .deb).
    • If so, then what is the format of the archive?
    • If so, do they have different .apk files for different architectures (x86, ARM, etc.).
    • If not, then how is it orgranized?
• What are the requirements to run the .apk file directly on my Linux PC running on x86 arch?

I do not have a very good background of Android and the .apk files, hence these questions.

Thanks and regards,

Hrishikesh Murali

Answer 1

You cannot install .apk files directly onto your PC. Even though Android uses the Linux kernel, the applications runs on a totally different platform. APK files are ZIP file formatted packages based on the JAR file format, with .apk file extensions. They hold all of that program's code (such as .dex files), resources, assets, certificates, and manifest file. They run only on the Dalvik virtual machine.

Install Android OS on your PC, if you really want to run them from a computer.