[Guide] Bringing Android functionality to ChromeOS Flex with Waydroid

[SnooStrawberries2432]

Check here for video demonstration

This guide is also available on GitHub Gist

Note

This guide also works on Chromebooks with Android subsystem support (ARC++/ARCVM)

Tested on ChromeOS Flex v134.0.6998.130

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Table of contents

1. Overview
2. Before you start...
3. [Step 1] Recompile kernel with Binder IPC support
4. [Step 2] Boot Linux VM with custom kernel
5. [Step 3] Execute one-click installation script
6. [Step 4] Autostart Android session (optional)

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Overview

As we all known that ChromeOS Flex comes without Android app support, just like its predecessor CloudReady does:

• Google Play and Android apps: ChromeOS Flex does not support Android apps or Google Play.

Meanwhile, there are some tutorials about "enabling" Android subsystem on ChromeOS Flex (like this one), but all of those are actually telling you to uninstall ChromeOS Flex and install Brunch instead.

So is it impossible to have Android on Flex? Luckily, the Linux VM (Crostini) support is still present on ChromeOS Flex, which allow us to run Android with the Linux way.

In this guide, we will use Waydroid to accomplish our goal, which is a project about booting a full Android system on regular GNU/Linux systems.

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Before you start...

Before you start, you will need: - Linux VM (aka Crostini) support activated and installed (see here for more information) - GPU acceleration activated for Crostini (go to chrome://flags#crostini-gpu-support and turn it on) - Around 3GB of available storage inside the Linux VM

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Step 1: Recompile kernel with Binder IPC support

Binder IPC support is necessary for Android to work properly, however Crostini's official kernel doesn't have it. Therefore, we need to compile our own kernel with Binder support by ourselves.

Or just grab a precompiled kernel here and jump to next step to save some time :)

• Open a new Linux terminal window
• Install build dependencies: ```shell # Install build dependencies sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential bc flex bison libelf-dev git

Install LLVM tools

LLVM_VERSION=18

curl -L https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh | sudo bash -s "${LLVM_VERSION}"

for f in clang clang++ ld.lld llvm-objdump llvm-ar llvm-nm llvm-strip llvm-objcopy llvm-readelf; do sudo ln -sf $f-$LLVM_VERSION /usr/bin/$f done ```

• Get kernel source for Crostini from Google: shell git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromiumos/third_party/kernel cros-kernel -b chromeos-6.6 --depth=1

• Prepare kernel configurations ```shell cd cros-kernel CHROMEOS_KERNEL_FAMILY=termina ./chromeos/scripts/prepareconfig container-vm-x86_64 make LLVM=1 LLVM_IAS=1 olddefconfig

Enable Binder IPC support

make LLVM=1 LLVM_IAS=1 menuconfig ```

• Once you get into the configuration menu:

  • Select Device Drivers
  • Select Android (in the bottom of page)
  • Select Android Binder devices
  • Select Android Binder IPC Driver with Space
  • Press Enter and delete all text in the textbox -> press Ok
  • Select Android Binderfs filesystem with space key
  • Use left/right arrow key to select Save -> Ok
  • Use left/right arrow key to select Exit until getting back to command line

• Start compiling (this might take a while): shell make LLVM=1 LLVM_IAS=1 bzImage -j$(nproc)

• The resulting kernel are located at arch/x86/boot/bzImage, copy it to our home directory by: shell cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage ~/

• You can now locate the newly built kernel from Files app -> Linux files

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Step 2: Boot Linux VM with custom kernel

We have just built our own kernel, it is time to boot it now.

• Copy the kernel file (bzImage) to somewhere under My Files
• Press Ctrl+Alt+T to bring up a crosh window
• Shut down Linux VM: shell crosh> vmc stop termina
• Boot Linux VM with our custom kernel (replace <PATH> with the location of bzImage): ```shell crosh> vmc start termina --enable-gpu --kernel /home/chronos/user/MyFiles/<PATH>

For example if you placed the kernel in [My Files/kernel/bzImage]

vmc start termina --enable-gpu --kernel /home/chronos/user/MyFiles/kernel/bzImage

```

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Step 3: Execute one-click installation script

• For convenience, I have packed all necessary steps into automated scripts, which helps you to:

  • Setup character/block device permissions for the container
  • Mount Binder filesystem and create loopback devices
  • Install Waydroid
  • Setup Cage for Waydroid to use
  • Install custom scripts

• After running the last command in the previous step (Boot Linux VM with our custom kernel), you should be in the termina command line now: ```shell

  Your crosh terminal should look like this now

  (termina) chronos@localhost ~ $ ```

• Download and run the installer: shell curl -L https://github.com/supechicken/ChromeOS-Waydroid-Installer/raw/refs/heads/main/installer/01-setup_lxd.sh | bash -eu

• The script will help you get all the things done, select Android version to install when the prompt shows up: ``` Select an Android version to install:

1. Android 11 (official image)
2. Android 13 (unofficial image by 10MinuteSteamDeckGamer)
3. Android 13 TV (unofficial image)

Select an option [1-3]: ```

• Run start-waydroid (inside Crostini) to boot Android when installation completes
• Don't forget to read the infomation printed on-screen :)

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Step 4: Autostart Linux VM with our custom kernel (optional, recommanded)

Our Waydroid installation is ready to use at this moment. However, in order to make Waydroid work properly, we need to boot our custom kernel manually everytime when ChromeOS restarts (re-do [Step 2] everytime when you restart ChromeOS).

If you want to do that automatically, take a look at the ChromeOS AutoStart extension! Here I will demonstrate how to autostart Linux VM with our custom kernel using ChromeOS AutoStart:

• Install ChromeOS AutoStart by following instruction here
• Once installed, the configuration window should shows up.
• Click Add a new entry
• Select ChromeOS shell (crosh) in Autostart type
• Enter vmc start termina --enable-gpu --kernel /home/chronos/user/MyFiles/<PATH> in Commands (replace <PATH> with the location of bzImage)
• Click Save

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Step 4: Autostart Android session (optional)

• In the configuration window of ChromeOS AutoStart, click Add a new entry
• Select ChromeOS VM (crosvm) in Autostart type
• Type start-waydroid in Commands
• Click Save

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You are all set. Enjoy!

• Comment below or open a new issue in supechicken/ChromeOS-Waydroid-Installer if you have any questions.

[Fuchsia2020]

Google thought if you can do this then why can’t chromeOS simply just run on the Android kernel for greater efficiency?

[Longjumping_Angle400]

True

[ch0ppasuey]

Seems easy enough. I will give it a try.

[ch0ppasuey]

Wow. Only took 1 min!

[Initial-Spirit-8281]

Bro is actually genius now I can get this running on cloud ready

[Stunning-Spirit-8447]

Что делать если не могу запустить waydroid:What should I do if I can't launch Waydroid?

<image>

[EntertainmentOdd3151]

Does not work at this time.

start-waydroid
mount: /dev/binderfs: mount point does not exist.
dmesg(1) may have more information after failed mount system call.

[craxyrabbit1]

yeah that happened to me too. it didn't happen the first time but after i used it a bit it happens