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I have heard that there is some similarity in the code used for both Ubuntu and Android programs, but has there been any mention in all the recent publicity over the forthcoming Ubuntu OS for phones, whether or not existing Android apps will be compatible with Ubuntu?

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    possible duplicate of Can I run Android apps on Ubuntu? Jan 26, 2013 at 23:02
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    @EricCarvalho This is asking about Android apps in Ubuntu for Phones not Ubuntu Desktop. Jan 26, 2013 at 23:31
  • people are installing the desktop chrome on the phone, won't make much of a difference in a bit, that page may lead to a similar solution when xmir and other desktop land for converged phones
    – Mateo
    Dec 13, 2015 at 16:53
  • The opposite thing is certainly possible. askubuntu.com/q/1332793/124466 Apr 23, 2021 at 12:22

4 Answers 4

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So far, the Ubuntu QML toolkit is just a preview, so there is no definite answer possible. But Richard Collins, head of Ubuntu mobile products, has stated in an engadget interview:

Q: Since Android is also Linux-based, is there any plan for Ubuntu to run Android apps?

A: Many Android developers already use Ubuntu as their desktop OS and we have a very close affinity with them. We intend to encourage them to make their Android applications run on Ubuntu, but we won't engineer any middleware for running Android apps. Developers are intelligent and capable enough to make their apps run on our devices. We have an active initiative right now to directly help them achieve this.

So this makes it pretty clear: the apps should be either web apps or ported to Ubuntu.

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    someone should create an app for Ubuntu Touch like Wine, just where you can use android apps instead of windows software :D
    – Jeggy
    Jul 6, 2013 at 12:01
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    I agree with @Jeggy - I won't use UbuntuOS when I can't do everything I could do previously on my Android
    – BlueWizard
    Oct 28, 2015 at 8:42
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It may be possible with OpenMobile's Application Compatibility Layer. They have already demonstrated it with Tizen OS and from its site, it is clear that it will be available for Ubuntu too.

Source: OpenMobile ACL for Ubuntu

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As previously answered, canonical won't support android apps on ubuntu touch. Their official reasoning is that "native" apps are faster. A point they don't mention is that oracle draged google on a billionaire lawsuit for using java on android (google "google oracle java lawsui"t). It should be pretty simple for ubuntu to support android apps, but it would require the "dalvik vm" which might drag canonical in a lawsuit too big to make it all worth it. However, third parties can, and most probably will port dalvik to ubuntu in order to support android apps, I bet someone will do it right after the official ubuntu touch is released. The problem with all this is that it does not solve the problem of legally runnning apps bought for android. I don't think it should be a problem for free apps though.

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    Now that Oracle severely lost that lawsuit, using alternative implementations of Java is probably much safer for everyone (including Canonical) than it ever has been before (including before Oracle's acquisition of Sun). But I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. :) As a separate matter, why would it be illegal to run an app you have purchased on a "weird" system? It's not illegal to run properly purchased payware apps on CyanogenMod. (I can think of possible weird licensing restrictions, but that could apply to gratis apps too.) Aug 16, 2013 at 13:57
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    As an update: The dalvik VM is being obsoleted by ART, which translates the Java apps into native apps upon installation. Thus, even if it isn't official, I'm positive that once Ubuntu phone devices are established, some hacker will port ART to Ubuntu phone. Feb 4, 2015 at 15:17
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I remember seeing this article a while back. You can run android apps using Google-Chrome with a few tweaks. I have not tried it myself. I found the link and others by googling "run android apps on ubuntu" http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/09/install-android-apps-ubuntu-archon

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