How to sideload Android Device on Chromebook without developer mode [2023]

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This tip is about the how to sideload Android Device on Chromebook without developer mode. So read this free guide, How to sideload Android Device on Chromebook without developer mode step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.

How to sideload Android Device on Chromebook without developer mode – Guide

Google continues to add new features to make ChromeOS more interesting for users. The biggest development came when ChromeOS started supporting compatible apps from the Google Play Store. To sideload APKs, you needed to run your Chromebook in developer mode. The OS now allows sideloading of APKs without developer mode. The problem with sideloading APKs in developer mode is that you had to put your Chromebook in developer mode. That means you need to erase the device and press the key combination when the computer boots up. Chrome OS 80 fixed this issue by adding the ability to sideload APKs without putting the entire OS into developer mode.

However, this is not as simple as loading an APK on an Android. phone or tablet. Google wants users to only install Android apps on their Chromebooks through the Google Play Store. The sideloading process is intended for developers to test their apps. It is intended to test the compatibility of your applications with the Chrome OS system. But sometimes developers mark their apps as unsupported on Chromebooks, making it necessary to install them (aka “side load”) from somewhere else. After that, you need to restart your Chromebook. You will see an ADB prompt after reboot, click Allow to allow ADB debugging. You are now almost ready to load Android apps via APKs on your Chromebook.

Switch your Chromebook to Dev Channel

To switch to the Dev channel, go to Settings > About Chrome OS > Additional Settings.

Here change Chrome OS channel from Stable to Developer – unstable.

After that, go back to the About Chrome OS page and check for updates to install the latest update automatically.

You will now be in the Dev channel with the latest version.

Enable Linux on your Chromebook to sideload Android apps

After switching to the Dev channel, you also need to enable Linux on your Chromebook.

To do this, go to Settings and select Linux (Beta) in the left pane and click Activate.

Enable ADB Debugging on Chrome OS

After successfully setting up Linux on your Chromebook, it’s time to enable ADB debugging.

To do this, go to Settings > Linux (Beta) > Develop Android Applications and enable the toggle for “Enable ADB Debugging“.

Install ADB tools and connect Android system with Linux on your Chromebook

Next, we will have to install the ADB platform tools on the Chromebook. You can use Terminal on your Chromebook to install ADB tools.

Use the following command to install the ADB tools on your Chromebook.

sudo apt-get install android-tools-ADB

You may also need to press “Y” when prompted. It may take some time depending on the network speed.

After that, you can connect Android system to Linux on Chrome OS using ADB tools.

Run the following command to connect Android system to Linux on your Chromebook. You will need an active Internet connection to perform this task.

adb connect 100.115.92.2:5555

Allow USB Debugging on Chromebook

After running the adb connect command on your Chromebook, you will see a pop-upup prompting you to allow USB debugging.

Now, enable the “Always allow from this computer” checkbox and click OK.

Now, we are ready with the base. Now we can install or load Android apps using APK files on Chromebook.

Download and move APK files for Linux

Finally, you can now load Android apps using APK files on your Chromebook without developer mode.

First of all, download the APK file of the application you want to install and move it to Linux Files using File Manager.

In that tutorial we use, Firefox APK. We also renamed the APK file to firefox.apk for simplicity.

Install Android app on Chromebook using APK file

Now, it’s time to install the selected APK file on Chromebook.

We can install Android APKs on Chromebook using ADB commands in Terminal.

Then, type the following command and press Enter to install Firefox APK.

You can install your app by replacing firefox.apk with the name of your APK.

Final note

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How to sideload Android Device on Chromebook without developer mode

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