I tried installing Android on Raspberry Pi

With significantly more computing power, new Raspberry Pi boards can run some of the most popular Linux distributions and even ARM versions of Windows 11 without major performance issues. But if you’re tired of the same old desktop interface, you can choose to run Android on these smaller systems. Any version of Android will do. Thanks to the efforts of developer KonstaKANG, it is now possible to set up the latest version of his Android operating system on a small Raspberry Pi board.

Things necessary

A Raspberry Pi board is a must for obvious reasons, but for those who don’t mind running an older copy of Android, the RPi 3 will suffice. However, Android 14 is only available on his Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 models, so you may need to switch to a newer RPi model if you want to install the latest version of Android.

Apart from the palm-sized system, you will need a microSD card. We recommend purchasing one with at least 8GB of storage. That way, you can install your favorite Android apps without running out of storage.

Flashing LineageOS/AOSP files

Assuming you’re using a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, KonstKANG’s repository provides links to both the LineageOS and AOSP releases of Android 14. This tutorial uses the standard Android version of LineageOS.

1. Start by downloading the portable release of Balena Etcher from the official website.

2. Visit the KonstKANG website and point your cursor to device Click on the tab to select it raspberry pi model.

3. Download the version of Android you want to use with your Raspberry Pi. Be sure to extract it later.

Four. Run ballena etcher As an administrator.

Five. select flash from fileChoose. .img file I just extracted it and got a hit. Open.

6. click Storage selection Before selecting the microSD card where you plan to flash the OS files.

7. Press flash button.

Booting up Android for the first time

Similar to how you set up Ubuntu or Windows 11 on your Raspberry Pi, you’ll need to configure a few settings the first time you boot Android on your SBC.

1. Before powering up the SBC, insert the microSD card into the Raspberry Pi and connect all necessary cables.

2. press start On the welcome screen.

3. Accept the End User License Agreement.

Four. please choose language Click Next button.

Five. If you do not have an Ethernet cable connected, Wifi Create a network and enter that network password before pressing Next.

6. set Date Time Select your settings and click Next.

7. strike Next Once the customization is complete, Location information settings and Features of LineageOS.

8. LineageOS will ask you to protect your tablet and recover data from another device.

You can ignore these settings by clicking . skip.

9. If you are using a keyboard and mouse, be sure to select 3 button navigation before choosing Next.

Ten. Please click Next Press the button two more times to complete the setup procedure.

(Optional) Install Google apps

If you followed all the steps correctly, your Raspberry Pi will boot to the LineageOS home screen. However, you will notice that the Raspberry Pi does not have the usual Google Play apps installed.

If you are a beginner, we recommend switching to Aurora, F-Droid, or another application store to avoid the hassle of installing GApps. But if you’re a veteran ready to endure the rigors of using Google’s suite of apps, read on.

1. Download the Arm64 version of BiTGApps from the Pling store.

2. open setting App on Raspberry Pi.

3. type Power Type in the search bar and select power menu items From the proposal.

Four. Scroll down and enable the following toggles: advanced restart.

Five. Please visit notification panel Click power switch.

6. choose Reboot followed by recovery.

7. choose install Tabs within the TWRP interface.

8. Go to. download Select the folder and BiTGApps.zip File.

9. Swipe right to install the app.

Ten. Please be sure to select wipe the dalvik Select the option to restart your Raspberry Pi.

When you restart your Android-powered Raspberry Pi, you’ll notice that Google Play displays an error message stating that your device is not Play Protect certified. This means you won’t be able to sign in to your Google Account or download apps from the Play Store. Thankfully, there is a way to fix it (albeit quite tedious).

1. Connect one end of the USB cable to your PC and the other end to the Raspberry Pi’s USB Type-C port and wait until the latter powers on.

2. open setting Enable the app on the Raspberry Pi, Developer options Tap 7 times to build number inside About tablets header.

3. Open and enable developer options usb debugging and rooted debugging.

Four. Switch to your PC and follow this guide to set up ADB.

Five. Open Terminal/PowerShell in ADB and enter the following command:

.\adb root

surely accept Connection request within Raspberry Pi.

6. Then run the following command to access the Unix shell.

.\adb shell

7. Paste this command inside your Unix shell.

sqlite3 /data/data/com.google.android.gsf/databases/gservices.db

8. Inside the sqlite interface, enter the final command.

select * from main where name = "android_id";

9. Here, the hex string is your Android ID and you need to paste it into this link to authenticate your device.

Ten. After clicking , restart your Raspberry Pi. register Click the button in the previous link.

Once your Raspberry Pi has restarted, Google Play Services will stop displaying the error message and you should be able to log in to your Google Account.

(Optional) Install Magisk

Now that you have Google Play installed, the final step to turning your Raspberry Pi into a full-fledged Android device is to set up Magisk.

1. Download Magisk apk file version 25.2 along with LineageOS compatible zip file.

2. Enter recovery mode just like when you set up Google Play.

3. (Optional) Within the recovery environment, we recommend flashing the resizing module so that all unallocated space on the microSD card is available.

Four. Flash the Magisk zip file within the TWRP interface before rebooting into Android 14.

Five. using, file managerFind the Magisk.apk Create and install the file.

6. When you start Magisk, you will be prompted to restart your Raspberry Pi to complete the installation.

7. Just tap got it Click the button to finish the Magisk setup procedure.

Run Android on Raspberry Pi

Now you have a Raspberry Pi-flavored Android tablet. Even the most expensive his 8GB version of the Raspberry Pi 5 struggles to run Steam games, but Android games tend to work well on the device. So if you’re tired of running retro console games on your SBC, you can also use your Raspberry Pi as an Android emulator.