Run Full Android on Arch Linux with Waydroid

Waydroid is a container-based approach that allows you to boot a full Android system on your Arch Linux machine. Follow this guide to get started with Waydroid on Arch Linux.

Installing Waydroid

To install Waydroid, you can use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Using Git and Makepkg

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/waydroid.git
cd waydroid
makepkg -si

Method 2: Using Yay

yay -S waydroid

Using LineageOS Images

Waydroid uses LineageOS images. You can install an image using the following commands:

Automatic Image Installation

# Install an image with default settings
waydroid init
# Install an image with GApps support
waydroid init -s GAPPS

Alternatively, you can manually download and install images from the AUR:

Manual Image Installation

If you prefer manual installation, follow these steps:

  1. Download the LineageOS images:
  2. Unzip both images and copy them to the correct location:
sudo cp system.img vendor.img /usr/share/waydroid-extra/images

Kernel and Session Manager Requirements

To run Waydroid, you need a kernel with the binder modules and a Wayland session manager. For example:

# Installing linux-zen kernel
sudo pacman -S linux-zen

If you use the i3 tiling manager, consider using Sway, an i3-compatible Wayland compositor.

Python Environment Setup

Before proceeding, ensure you have Python installed. You can use pyenv or the system-installed Python. Install the required packages:

pip install PyGObject==3.48.1 pyclip==0.7.0 dbus-python==1.3.2 Cython==3.0.10

Additionally, install gbinder-python by following the instructions in the README.

Play Store Support on Waydroid

To install the Play Store on Waydroid, you can use the script provided at casualsnek/waydroid_script.