We recently wrote about the ARChon custom runtime that allows for running Android apps on any Chrome browser. And then we found this great new tool, the Chrome APK Packager that allows you to pull any app on your phone, bundle its APK for running on ARChon. The good news is that this tool is now more available to Android users as has been released now over the Google Play Store.

The ARChon custom runtime is essentially a hack of Google’s App Runtime for Chrome (ARC), which allows certain apps to be loaded and run via the Chrome browser. The problem was that ARC was selective about which apps it chose to run. But the idea of running apps on your Chrome browser is a cool and novel one that a developer named “Vladimir” made sure that all and any apps will run on the browser, also regardless of which OS you are running Chrome on – whether Windows, Mac, or Linux.

But the ARChon hack only accepts apps as Chrome extensions and not the normal APK bundle we are used to installing in our devices. That is where the Chrome APK Packager comes to help us – as it can pull the APK straight from any app on your device and convert it so that it is usable by ARChon, and therefore you are able to run it on your Chrome browser.

The app is a free download right now via the Google Play Store, so if you feel like exploring this tweak, go right ahead. It looks like there have been some UI changes to the small app as well. Please tell us about it if you have time to check this app out.

SOURCE: Google Play Store

8 COMMENTS

    • Google “how to load unpacked extensions in chrome” and get familiar with that.
      Then download the Archon runtime, and load that.
      Then create your packages using the Play Store app mentioned here, unzip them, put on your Chromebook and load them.
      Easy 😉

  1. Absolutely great “hack”, and packaged app.
    No, not everything works at the moment, anything that requires Google Play Services crash, but I’m sure Google have this in hand.
    The touchpad and keyboard integration is much better than expected – works well.
    Fully functional Skype on a Chromebook, one of the biggest, most mentioned omissions……..

  2. Does it work for some games offered in Google Store such as Heroes of Order and Chaos? I’d be very interested to have this app to download such a game on my Mac through Chrome browser and play. Has anyone tried it with games?

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