uploaded installing Waydroid, an Android emulator, on Linux.md

Author: alifeee

notes/installing Waydroid, an Android emulator, on Linux.md

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+---
+title: installing Waydroid, an Android emulator, on Linux
+date: 2025-03-19
+tags:
+- linux
+- Android
+- installation
+---
+I wanted to use Android on Linux, so I searched the web and found <https://waydro.id/>.
+
+Instead of running in some kind of virtual machine, it seems to run Android slightly more natively on Linux (I really don't know how any of this works).
+
+Here is a small adventure at trying to install it:
+
+## Official installation guide
+
+Following steps from <https://docs.waydro.id/usage/install-on-desktops#ubuntu-debian-and-derivatives> (I'm on Pop!\_OS which I think is based on Debian).
+
+```bash
+$ sudo apt install curl ca-certificates
+$ curl -s https://repo.waydro.id | sudo bash
+$ sudo apt install waydroid
+$ waydroid init
+[11:27:05] Failed to load binder driver
+[11:27:05] modprobe: FATAL: Module binder_linux not found in directory /lib/modules/6.13.0-061300-generic
+[11:27:05] ERROR: Binder node "binder" for waydroid not found
+[11:27:05] See also: https://github.com/waydroid
+```
+
+I don't really know what this error meant, but after searching, it seemed that Waydroid needed "wayland" and I was using X (which are both Desktop thingies which make pixels appear on the screen). I read things about Pop!\_OS not having something necessary installed in the kernel, but I could use "DKMS", meaning Dynamic Kernel Module Support. So I tried installing what I'd found links to with:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/choff/anbox-modules
+cd anbox-modules && ./INSTALL.sh
+```
+
+now when I ran `waydroid init` it worked, but then I got nothing. I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to be doing to "open" it now that it was "init"'d. So I deleted all I could with
+
+```bash
+$ sudo apt remove waydroid
+$ sudo find / -type d -name "waydroid"
+/var/lib/waydroid
+$ rm -rf /var/lib/waydroid
+```
+
+…and found a helper script to do stuff for me.
+
+## Installation script
+
+The script I found was <https://github.com/n1lby73/waydroid-installer>, which I ran with
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/n1lby73/waydroid-installer
+cd waydroid-installer
+sudo bash install_script.sh
+```
+
+The script didn't complete, and complained about modules not installing, specifically that `lxd-client` could not be installed.
+
+Looking at the script I saw it was trying to run `apt install lxd-client` but running that myself, it seemed that it didn't exist:
+
+```bash
+$ sudo apt install lxd-client
+E: Unable to locate package lxd-client
+```
+
+After searching, it seems `lxd-client` provides a command `lxc`, so I looked for how to install `lxc`, and found it was possible via `snap`. I've not really used `snap` before and people have complained about it (about filesize and automatic updates), so I was wary to install it, but I did with:
+
+```bash
+$ sudo apt install snapd
+$ sudo snap install lxd
+$ lxc --version
+5.21.3 LTS
+```
+
+I removed `lxd-client` from the install script and re-ran it, and it seemed to work OK. It said it installed a "Wayland" desktop option on my login page if I rebooted.
+
+## Opening waydroid
+
+So I rebooted, and on the login screen selected "Pop on Wayland" (I'm still not fully sure what this X/Wayland thing is), and tried starting Waydroid.
+
+Running…
+
+```bash
+waydroid session start
+```
+
+…and…
+
+```bash
+waydroid show-full-ui
+waydroid app install org.fedorahosted.freeotp_46.apk
+waydroid app install Firefox Fast & Private Browser_136.0.2_APKPure.apk
+```
+
+…installed some apps and filled one of my screens with a big Android display.
+
+It seems to work well!
+
+I suppose there's a lot you can do with Waydroid, if you want. I don't think I want.
+
+In some ways, this is an example of the involved-nature of installing things on Linux.