Genymotion: how to use an emulator

From the first day of its appearance Android, developers and users have been looking for opportunities to use the OS on computers running Windows. The former needed this to test software, the latter to run games and applications on more powerful hardware. As a result, emulators appeared – products that reproduce the exact software image Android on other platforms. There are already dozens of perfectly working applications, but new ones with even more functionality are emerging. And today we will tell you how to use Genymotion – one of the innovative programs.

The Genymotion Pros

This is a fairly new phenomenon in the world of emulators. To date, only version 2.1 has been released, but there are not only desktop, but online and even cloud. This is a paid product aimed at an audience of software developers, although anyone can get a trial version without paying.

The advantage is the low power consumption of the PC. And all because the solution is based on Virtual Box, which virtualizes, not emulates Android. Such solutions have been used before, but they required complex configuration, which in our case was significantly simplified.

In addition to any version Windows, the program is supported Linux, Mac and received a full set of tools for fast and high-quality work: shell, more than forty virtual devices and integration with Android SDK , Eclipse and Android Studio. The functionality includes emulation of GPS coordinates, built-in Google applications, a shell that allows you to control sensors, and very fast startup. In general, the speed of work is one of the main advantages of the application.

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Installation on PC

Installing Genymotion is possible on a computer that has:

• at least 2 GB of RAM;
• processor with hardware support for virtualization;
• installed VirtualBox.

The emulator does not work without Virtual-Box Oracle, and the official version does not support Russian.

Therefore, a simple user has two options:

• Install Virtual-Box Oracle, and then download and install apk Genymotion of the Russian version from a surely reliable file sharing or torrent.
• Download and install from the official website the entire package (in English or French) or only Genymotion (you have a choice).

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How to install VirtualBox

In any case, you'll have to install Genymotion on VirtualBox. Installing the application from the official website does not require solving super tasks. You just need to agree to the terms of the license agreement and indicate the location. In the process, the program will ask you to specify the VirtualBox components necessary for the user. To avoid complications, you need to check the boxes everywhere and that's it.

If you install Box yourself, you need to do it as follows:

1. Open the official website and click on the 'Download' button.
2. Choose the right version for your OS.
   
3. Activate the installation by clicking on the downloaded file, and then follow the instructions of the program. The process will create a new network connection, and when the installation is complete, the manager will start.
   
4. Add a virtual machine by clicking 'Create' and specifying its parameters.
   
5. The program will offer to create a new virtual hard disk or use an existing one. The first option should be selected.
6. Next, you must specify the type of disk (VDI is recommended), file storage format, location and name. Here, the choice has absolutely no effect on performance, so it can be anything.
7. Click on the 'Create' icon. A window with the newly created virtual machine will open.

And now you can proceed to the settings and installation of the emulator.

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How to install an emulator

Despite the English interface of the official website and the program itself, the installation does not raise any questions. But registration with a link to a mailbox is required.

By the way, the Genymotion manual is available for download on the developer's website. If you go down the main page, it is easy to find the Docs tab, following which you can get to a page with documents explaining how to use the program, plugins, and so on.

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Register an account

To create an account you need:

1. Click on the corresponding button on the main page of the official website.
2. A page will open where you need to enter your username and password, agree to the license and click on 'Create Account '.
   
3. On the new page, indicate the email address, country of residence, and the type of company of the user.
   
4. Confirm your readiness to register again by clicking the 'Create Account' button.

Unfortunately, registration in Genymotion in Russian is not yet provided, so we have given an English transcription

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Download the boot file

After confirming the creation of an account, a letter with a link will be sent to the mail, following which the future user will be taken to a page with an offer to buy an emulator. If you need a free version, you should click on the link at the very bottom of the page.

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Install the package

On the next page, you need to select the OS and the composition of the package, and then click on the selected link. When the installation file is downloaded, you should activate the installation.

Everything further happens as usual. The location and language are selected. The program will ask you to confirm your personal use, after which you can start setting up and using it.

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First start

Now it's time to launch Genymotion. There should be three icons on the desktop: Genymotion, Genymotion Shell, and VirtualBox. You need to double-click on the first one. The application will open, immediately inform you about the absence of virtual devices in the system and offer you to make a choice – to add them or not.

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How to add a device

In our case, you need to click on the 'Yes' icon, and select 'Connect' in the new window.

After that, you need to enter the login and password specified during registration, and then specify the device and wait until the program loads the executable files.

If 'operation failed' appears at the end, the program should be restarted as administrator. If everything goes smoothly, a window will appear with a 'Finish' button that you need to click. Now you can select a device from the list of available ones and click 'Play'.

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How to set up an emulator

It is important to set up Genymotion correctly. By clicking on the icon with a wrench opposite the selected gadget in the list, you can enter its settings. Here you can change the number of processors, the amount of consumed RAM and screen expansion. You can choose to run in full screen mode.

To exit the settings, just click 'Cancel', and to start the emulated application, you need to double-click or select and then select the 'Start' button. If a message about no virtualization support pops up at startup, it must be enabled in B IOS.

It is not recommended to choose an operating system version newer than 4.3. This often works with crashes and bugs, which, possibly, will be fixed over time.

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Display Expansion

The screen options are set over a wide range, but it is recommended to lower the screen resolution and pixel density. Optimum values ​​are 1024 × 1024 and 160, respectively.

The action must be confirmed with the 'OK' button.

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3D acceleration

To get the desired performance, you need to enable 3D acceleration in the VirtualBox settings and increase the size of the allocated video memory.

The main thing here is not to overdo it. The amount of RAM cannot exceed the system capabilities of the PC.

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How to make the keyboard work

The question appears to some users when the keyboard Android does not appear. To make the virtual pop up when necessary, you need to check the box opposite the corresponding item in the Genymotion settings (use virtual keyboard).

The program responds inadequately to the physical keyboard, even if you install the Russian layout. The fact is, the virtual keyboard sends characters to an application that only supports the Latin alphabet. Therefore, the solution lies in using exclusively the on-screen keyboard, where you can change the layout, or in using the Russian-language version of the emulator, modified by home craftsmen.

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Launch Android – applications

After installing and running Genymotion, it is easy to understand that there are no Google services on the emulated device. Starting with version 2.0, the application does not support ARM libraries, which must be manually installed.

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How to download and install ARM Translator

ARM Translator is a kind of translator that converts the program language into one that is understandable for all components of the computer on which the program is installed. It allows running applications compiled for the ARM architecture (ROM Genymotion is tailored for it) on the X86 platform, which most computers have.

Without going into technical details, you just need to download and install. And this is done like this:

1. The archive is downloaded first. There are plenty of resources on the net, but it is advisable to find the latest version – 1.2.
2. The unopened Zip is then dragged and dropped into the emulator window.
   
3. In the process, a pink frame will appear in the window, and then the 'File transfer in progress ' window will open, after which the program will ask you to confirm the action with the 'OK' button.
   
4. We are waiting for the end of the process.
   
5. We reboot the emulator: close the program for about five seconds and reopen it. Some recommend doing this using the adb reboot command line. If the message 'Failed to flash' appears, it must be ignored by pressing the 'OK' button.
   

Now you can proceed to installing standard Android applications.

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How to download and install Google apps

To access the programs, you need to download and install the archive with Gapps for the version installed on the virtual device Android. Installation is done in exactly the same way:

1. The archive is downloaded and dragged into the virtual device window.
2. After a successful installation, the 'gadget' reboots.

Icons of familiar applications should appear in the menu.

By the way, this is the only available and universal way to install any ARC on a virtual device.

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How to sign in to Google Play

To access the official apps, you need to open the Play Store. For authorization, you can use the old one, or create a new Google account. After logging in with your account, you must approve the user agreement by clicking on the 'Accept' button.

The store has the same well-known design and is completely identical to the original product range. If you receive a notification about Google Play services stopped, you need to update the application package. To do this, go to Google Play under the 'My Apps' menu and click on Update all.

There is no point in further telling how to work with Genymotion. The new one Android can be used as usual. Apps are also quickly downloaded from Google Play, periodically updated and have standard functionality.

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Virtual Android on PC – Genymotion: Video