It may take a bit of experimentation to see how some games should be best played on a PC or Mac. Several options are listed along the right-hand side of the screen. This is required only once.ĭownload apps and games from the Google Play Store within BlueStacks, and you can use built-in default controls provided by BlueStacks or customize them if you prefer. Click that and sign in with your Gmail credentials, as you would on an Android phone for the first time.

Starting the program the first time might take a couple of minutes.Īfter BlueStacks 4 launches, you’ll see the main Home screen, which includes a familiar icon to the Google Play store.

Whether you’re on a Windows PC or Mac, starting with BlueStacks is quite simple.įirst, download and install BlueStacks 4, which takes a minute or two on a high-speed connection. But that’s about it.Īlong with support for the Google Play store, BlueStacks has partnered with Samsung to include Samsung Galaxy Store with BlueStacks 4 on PC, to play several Android games on a bigger screen, along with the same benefits and promotions as on the Galaxy Store. BlueStacks 4 might require the download of a newer graphics card driver on an aging computer. Other system specs are equally as modest, such as requiring at least 2GB of RAM (system memory), though 8GB is recommended. It only takes up 100MB of storage once installed to a hard drive or SSD, not including the apps you may download. The San Jose, California-based company claims more than 1.5 million Android games and apps are supported, thanks to the software’s complex virtualization technology that allegedly took 10 engineers two years to build.īecause Android is an “open” operating system, BlueStacks 4 is completely free and legal for users to download and install. Tech tips: 12 awesome tech hacks to save you money and time National Password Day project: A unique password for every website you go to In fact, as an emulator, it doesn’t know it’s being run on a personal computer. Quite simply, BlueStacks 4 – the latest iteration of the software – lets you run most Android apps on your computer.

So long as you have BlueStacks installed on your laptop (or desktop), you can access your favorite mobile apps as if you were accessing them on your mobile device. Problem is, your smartphone is charging up, and your kids probably took your iPad. Will it be flicking through some TikTok videos? Playing a round of Clash of Clans? What about a group video call with friends over Google Duo? While working from home, you decide you need a well-deserved break.

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