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ADRIANA JARA: Hi, my name's Adriana Jara,
and I'm a developer advocate for Chrome OS.
One of the advantages of Android is the diversity
of form factors where it runs.
This diversity gives developers great opportunities
to reach a lot of users.
Let's say you as a developer want
to increase the reach of your app for large screens,
gain new users, or maybe give your users
multi-device journeys.
Users can already install Android apps
on Chromebooks using the Play Store,
but you will want to add improvements for those users.
These optimizations will help not only
with desktop-like devices, but also tablets and foldables.
You will want to implement things like keyboard shortcuts
and make sure that your app is usable with a mouse
or a stylus.
You will want to make use of the real estate that
comes with a large screen, maybe optimizing
a horizontal layout--
since it is more common in large screens--
and think about desktop-like navigation patterns.
You may want to make sure that your app can
run in a split-screen mode and change size smoothly.
All great ideas, but this also means
you will want to test them accordingly
in the right form factor.
And I'm here to show you how Chromebooks can be your ally
to implement and test your Android apps,
especially for large screens.
First, you may need to do a little setup.
Start by enabling Linux on Chrome OS.
Find the Linux section under System Settings,
and click Turn On.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
This will enable an app called Terminal,
which is the way to interact with the Linux
on Chrome OS environment.
Starting in Chrome 84, you will find new options
for personalization, themes, shortcuts, and more.
Next step, Android Studio.
Installation is as easy as one click after downloading it.
Once installed, you'll get the same Android Studio
that you know and love.
It will be installed under a group called Linux Apps.
You can find it on your launcher,
and you can pin it to your drawer for easy access.
Final setup step, enable ADB debugging for your Chromebook.
This will allow you to deploy your Android app directly
to the Android environment on Chrome OS.
Go to the Linux settings, find the option
Develop Android apps, and turn on enable ADB debugging.
Your computer will restart, and you'll
see a confirmation dialog after the reboot.
And from then on, you'll see a notice on your login screen
that shows that it is allowed to load apps
using ADB on the Chromebook.
And note a warning--
if later you disable ADB debugging,
your Chromebook will reset to factory defaults.
And you've made it.
Your Chromebook is ready to run your Android app.
Now, the Chromebook will appear as an option on the Devices
dropdown of Android Studio.
Click Run, and your app will be installed directly
on the device.
You can test different sizes, configuration changes, input
interactions, and more without cables and, at the same time,
using the tools you are used to, to see logs, and to debug.
One note here-- the first time you install an app,
Android will ask to allow USB debugging.
You can check the Always Allow option.
There are a couple of alternatives for running
an Android app in Chrome OS.
If running Android Studio is not an option,
you can still use ADB and the Terminal to install an APK.
Or there is also the option to push to the Chromebook
from another device.
This option requires developer mode and more setup steps.
You can find step-by-step instructions on how to set up
these workflows on ChromeOS.dev--
a dedicated online resource for Chrome OS developers.
You can find the link to ChromeOS.dev
in the description of the video.
Whether you are a developer optimizing your apps
for large screens or a new developer
building your first app, I am looking forward
to seeing your creations on Chromebooks.
Thank you.
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