How to Run Android Apps Natively on Linux with Waydroid

I’ve always found Android emulators on Linux a bit… clunky. Between slow boot times, weird graphics glitches, and high system usage, it never felt like a smooth experience — until I discovered Waydroid.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, Waydroid is a project that lets you run a real Android OS inside a container, and it feels incredibly native — no emulation, no virtualization. Just Android, running side-by-side with your Linux apps.

Here’s how I got it running on my Arch-Linux GNOME setup, and why I think it’s one of the coolest Linux tools out there right now.

Now, Let's talk about what is Waydroid and how do you even use it.

What is Waydroid?

Waydroid runs Android inside an LXC container, and uses your Wayland session to display the Android UI right on your desktop. That means:

• Way faster than an emulator

• You can run APKs like native apps

• It integrates with your system clipboard

• It feels… natural (which is rare for Android on Linux)

There’s no virtualization layer — it’s more like Android is just another app running on your desktop.

My Setup

Here is the description of my pc setup:

• OS: Arch Linux (GNOME on Wayland, Kernel: 6.14.6-arch1-1)

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H

• Display Server: Wayland (Most important as waydroid doesn't work on X11)

• Ram: 16GB

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 1650Ti with AMD Vega 8 Integrated Graphics

Now, let's start with how to install Waydroid:

Firstly, you will need to install the package Waydroid from AUR. I usually use Yay.

yay -S waydroid

After installation, we first need to initialize waydroid by:

sudo waydroid init

This command is necessary to be executed as root.

Although, this is commonly used step, I personally don't advise to use it. I would advise you to install Waydroid-Image or Waydroid-Image-Gapps (For Google Apps) through Yay.

yay waydroid-image

Now, you would also need to enable binder from modprobe to be able to run waydroid.

sudo modprobe binder

Now that you're all set, you can start waydroid container.service by:

sudo systemctl start waydroid-container.service

And start waydroid session:

waydroid session start

Finally, launch the android UI:

waydroid show-full-ui

If all goes well, you'll see a full Android Desktop Pop up. It runs fast --really fast.

During the Installation, you might find many issues, for all those issues, I would recommend you to check the Arch WIki: Waydroid

Final Thoughts

Waydroid feels like the missing piece in Linux’s mobile-app puzzle. It’s fast, clean, and surprisingly stable. If you're a developer, a power user, or just someone who wants to run Instagram on your Arch box (lol), it’s absolutely worth trying.

Helpful Links

• Waydroid GitHub

• Waydroid Docs