How to Install and Use Anbox: Run Android Apps on Linux Without Virtualization

What Is Anbox?

Anbox (short for "Android in a Box") is a container‑based Android emulator that runs a full Android system on a regular GNU/Linux host using Linux namespaces, eliminating the performance overhead of traditional virtualization.

Installation Overview

Anbox can be installed as a snap package; ensure snap support is enabled on your system. It is also available in the Ubuntu 18.10 and Debian 10 repositories, or via a PPA for older Ubuntu releases.

Install Kernel Modules (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:morphis/anbox-support
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-headers-generic anbox-modules-dkms

After installing the anbox-modules-dkms package, load the modules or reboot:

sudo modprobe ashmem_linux
sudo modprobe binder_linux

Install Anbox via Snap

sudo snap install --devmode --beta anbox

Install Anbox via APT (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt install anbox

Install Anbox on Arch Linux

Use an AUR helper such as yay:

yay -S anbox-git

ADB Setup (Required for Installing APKs)

Install the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) using the package manager of your distribution.

Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install android-tools-adb Fedora: sudo dnf install android-tools Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S android-tools openSUSE Leap:

sudo zypper install android-tools

Downloading APKs

Since Anbox does not include Google Play Store, download APK files from trusted sources such as APKMirror and install them manually.

Launching Anbox

Start Anbox from the desktop Dash; it appears as a regular application window.

Installing Apps with ADB

Start the ADB server and install APKs: adb devices Example installations:

adb install 'com.google.android.youtube_14.13.54-1413542800_minAPI19(x86_64)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk'
adb install 'org.mozilla.focus_9.0-330191219_minAPI21(x86)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk'

Both commands should return Success.

After installation, you can launch the apps from within Anbox, for example opening Firefox and navigating to a website.