Is Google Play Store supported in avd emulators?

Question

After googling quite a bit I am unable to find the answer to this question. Is google play store officially support in avd emulators.

I know it was once stopped , then I hear that it was brought back after specific version of android. I am using avd android version 4.4.3 (api 19) google app . I dont see a google play store app there. Am I suppose to expect it? Or is there an official apk for google play store that can be installed on the avd officially?

Bojorquez

You can always download the APK and install via ADB – Philipps

Anyone knows the reason for why it's disabled in the first place? – Strigose

Answer 1

Starting from Android Studio 2.3.2 now you can create an AVD that has Play Store pre-installed on it. Currently, it is supported on the AVD's running

• A device definition of Nexus 5 or 5X phone, or any Android Wear
• A system image since Android 7.0 (API 24)

Official Source

For other emulators, you can try the solution mentioned in this answer.

Toddle

on MacOS, Android studio 3.1, Emulator Nexus 5X, Android 7.0 or 8.0 doesn't have Play Store :( – Pennon

This is not the correct answer to the question. Look below for Jamal Eason's answer. – Oz

Answer 2

The Google Play Store is now officially preinstalled the Android Emulator. Make sure you are running the latest version of Android Studio 2.4. In the Android Studio AVD Manager choose a virtual device configuration that has the Google Play store icon next to it, and then select one of the system images that have the label "Google Play". See this release note: https://androidstudio.googleblog.com/2017/04/android-studio-24-preview-4-is-now.html

Conservationist

I appears to be available in 2.3.3 also. But only for two phone images, no tablets yet. I suppose you can choose the phone and then tweak it into a tablet format. My 2.3.3 screen is identical to the one shown here. – Andes

For me avd manager required to pick nexus device to get play store. For instance, Pixel devices did not have option to choose google play system image, but only google apis. – Petuu

When I tried this, trying to open the Play Store just got stuck on "Checking Info" screen. Haven't found a workaround yet. – Computation

It didn't work with an existing avd, but it does with a new one as of 6/2018: developer.android.com/studio/releases/… – Capella

Deb's answer helped me most. Without first loading a "Google Play" enabled system image no Google Play enabled AVD could be created. I also noticed that only for a few devices a Googla Play enabled image is available. – Innermost

Answer 3

Easiest way: You should create a new emulator, and before opening it for the first time, follow these easy steps:

1. Locate the directory where the emulator has been created. For example, in Windows go to: "%userprofile%.android\avd" and open your virtual device folder.

2. Open file config.ini with a text editor like Notepad.

3. Locate PlayStore.enabled key and change its value to true:

   PlayStore.enabled = true

4. Ensure Play Store images is installed in the SDK manager. Read this for more information.

5. Locate image.sysdir.1 entry and change: google_apis to google_apis_playstore. Example:

   image.sysdir.1 = system-images\android-30\google_apis\x86\
   

   to

   image.sysdir.1 = system-images\android-30\google_apis_playstore\x86\
   

Stringer

Currently the best way to have a tablet emulator with Google Play. – Kookaburra

After changing these settings, am I supposed to launch the emulator from the AVD manager? I'm getting an error "The emulator process for AVD ... was killled" – Cherub

As I mentioned; you have to create a "New" emulator, don't open it, and do the changes, then you can open it. – Stringer

Where can I find the file to change ? I have a mac. – Lombroso

@Lombroso open AVD manager, right click device, then select "Show on Disk" – Isopropanol

You can use an "already used" avd, just click in "wipe data" – Morsel

thank you @SharifYazdian this worked for me. I was working on a crash that had happened on a Tab and on my emulator the tab does not have google play, I was unable to debug because location services did not work. With this process the emulator now has google play and can access google play services. – Esdras

In my case there was no need to create a new AVD, it worked using an existing one. Just in Settings... > SDK Platforms I had to install the corresponding Google Play ... System Image. Then I modified the config.ini as mentioned, and Cold Boot Now. – Titular

Make sure you have the google play store system image downloaded aswell. – Virulence

Piggy backing off @HimmetAvsar Its best to go into the settings and fully install the version of the SDK. – Lifeordeath

Thank you. This was it. Wanted to tie together the comments from @Cherub and Salvador: If you're getting "The emulator didn't start up" (or some similar error), choose Cold Boot from the device's menu. – Scribble

image.sysdir.1 entry - where is this supposed to be? I'm not seeing it in the .ini file – Dianthe

It bewilders me why those settings are not set by default. – Dianthe

Answer 4

When creating AVD...

1. Pick a device with google play icon.

2. Pick the google play version of the image, of your desired API level.

3. Now, after creating the AVD, you should see the google play icon.

Vera

With Android Studio Giraffe when pick a device with that option I'm unable to select an OS image on the next screen. – Dianthe

Answer 5

Yes, you can enable/use Play Store on Android Emulator(AVD): Before that you have to set up some prerequisites:

1. Start Android SDK Manager and select Google Play Intel x86 Atom System Image (Recomended: because it will work comparatively faster) of your required android version (For Example: Android 7.1.1 or API 25)

[Note: Please keep all other thing as it is, if you are going to install it for first time] Or Install as the image below:

2. After download is complete Goto Tools->Manage AVDs...->Create from your Android SDK Manager

Check you have provided following option correctly. Not sure about internal and SD card storage. You can choose different. And Target must be your downloaded android version

4. Also check Google Play Intel Atom (x86) in CPU/ABI is provided

5. Click OK

6. Then Start your Android Emulator. There you will see the Android Play Store. See ---

Diu

I can neither find Google Play Intel x86 Atom System Image in SDK Manager nor Google Play Intel Atom (x86) in CPU/ABI section when creating emulator. – Piecework

@CanPoyrazoğlu in the right bottom corner there is a switch "Show Package Details" click on it, and you will see it – Ammonia

thanks this worked, But i noticed that my previous emulator also had the same configurations (Google Play Intel x86 Atom System Image & Android 7.1.1 ). But it didn't have playstore – Amends

Answer 6

When you create a virtual device from Android Studio pay attention to the Play Store Column in the device table. The images with the play store icon have google play pre-installed.

❗️ In system images that come with google play root is not available.

After you've created the AVD you'll also be able to see from the Android Studio AVD Manager which of your images have google play installed:

Wiser

Not for tablets though. Shame – Pettaway

@MacaronLover: then, for example, you could use genymotion which is free for personal use and where you can install gapps by clicking in the top right corner icon in the emulator window. see #20122383 – Wiser

Thanks for the visual @Wiser – Dodge

Answer 7

on the Select a Device option choose a device with google play icon and then select a system image that shows Google play in the target

Withdrew

Answer 8

There is no google play store in avd emulator. But you can install it manually.

1. Install Google APIs System Image, so you will have google services already (without play store)

2. Create AVD based on Google APIs image

3. Download smallest archive from http://opengapps.org/ and extract Phonesky.apk from it

4. Push Phonesky.apk to /system/priv-app/ on avd.

5. Restart avd. Google play should be there.

Recently I've just tried to do it by myself and you can find detailed tutorial on my blog: http://linuxoidchannel.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-install-google-play-store-on.html

Presumption

Did you get "Device incompatible" warnings on the apps in the Play Store? About 90% of them are incompatible on mine. I can't really install anything I need (Firefox/Opera) – Trackman

The play store is available on a subset of images – Spiegleman

After pushing Phonesky.apk and restarting emulator my emulator is not powering on. – Flaherty

This is worked for Nexus_5_API_28. / was the mount point for system. Therefore used mount -o rw,remount /dev/root / – Pohl

@Trackman any resolution to this? Can't seem to download an app we are testing that has been confirmed available on a minimum of Android 4.4 (API 19) and targets the latest Android 9.0 (API 28). How to know if app and why it is "incompatible" if our emulated device supports Google Play store and is running an Android 8.0? – Roughhouse

@jtth: Does this article help you? If not, please post a new question, and please provide me with a link to the question. – Unidirectional

@Presumption this answer is no longer correct, you can install google play now in some emulators. – Dodge

Answer 9

If using the command line, you'll need to use one of the packages listed with

sdkmanager --list | grep "playstore"

Once that is installed you can use the appropriate package in

avdmanager create avd --force --name testAVD --abi google_apis_playstore/x86_64 --package "system-images;android-28;google_apis_playstore;x86_64" -d 19

Replace google_apis_playstore;x86_64 with the package you installed

Winther

I found the grep for playstore to be critical. I had version 26 revision 14 installed but that did not contain playstore. I need to install version 26 revision 7 and I only found that by using these instructions. – Woolpack

Answer 10

It's not officially supported yet.

Edit: It's now supported in modern versions of Android Studio, at least on some platforms.

Old workarounds

If you're using an old version of Android Studio which doesn't support the Google Play Store, and you refuse to upgrade, here are two possible workarounds:

1. Ask your favorite app's maintainers to upload a copy of their app into the Amazon Appstore. Next, install the Appstore onto your Android device. Finally, use the Appstore to install your favorite app.

2. Or: Do a Web search to find a .apk file for the software you want. For example, if you want to install SleepBot in your Android emulator, you can do a Google Web search for [ SleepBot apk ]. Then use adb install to install the .apk file.

Unidirectional