{"slug": "waydroid", "name": "Waydroid", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 7, "warners": 1, "score": 2.737, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2025-11-26", "latest": "2026-10-12", "why": "Linux has Waydroid so Android apps can be run on Linux at full speed without emulation.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 3, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Linux has Waydroid so Android apps can be run on Linux at full speed without emulation.", "icon": true, "domain": "waydro.id", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://waydro.id", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Waydroid", "WayDroid"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 800833216, "item_id": 50052076, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052076", "by": "apatheticonion", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Linux has Waydroid so Android apps can be run on Linux at full speed without emulation.", "excerpt": "The lack of polish is a function of the inability to use the hardware. The hardware is tightly gatekept so competition _cannot_ exist. Regulators are the only ones who can force vendors to distribute documentation for and unlock their hardware. Once we can actually target the hardware, open source alternatives will be much better than first party options. You can already see the potential in the open source world. Li", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Will Linux phones become a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly?"}, {"id": 779016816, "item_id": 48688551, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48688551", "by": "seba_dos1", "date": "2026-06-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "if I need to launch my bank's application there's always Waydroid.", "excerpt": "> Desktop GNU/Linux programs are either unusable or a terrible experience on a mobile device with a small screen and no mouse. Is this an assumption or coming from your experience? Because I'm typing this on a GNU/Linux phone in a desktop browser and use a bunch of desktop applications daily and haven't noticed. Of course if you run GIMP or something like that it won't fit unless you plug an external screen and a mou", "context": "uses a GNU/Linux phone", "use_case": "running Android apps on Linux phone", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jolla Phone, Over 13 500 units sold"}, {"id": 737044211, "item_id": 46065263, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46065263", "by": "Fnoord", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "for running Android apps on Wayland there's Waydroid", "excerpt": "Wayland is fantastic, but it requires some external tools for some non-default (seemingly 'simple') utilization. Therein lies double work, devs scratching their itch in whatever programming language they prefer, sure. The most popular one isn't always the best. And all of that is the nature of the bazaar. But the way I regard it, the bazaar can make use of curators who make a cathedral and sell that (anyone can, in t", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps on Wayland", "switched_from": "", "story": "Exploring the Fragmentation of Wayland, an xdotool adventure"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 748084993, "item_id": 46755312, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46755312", "by": "ottah", "date": "2026-01-25", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Android apps through Waydroid sort of works, but is unstable and not suitable for daily use.", "excerpt": "I have struggled with getting anything functional on a Fairphone running Ubuntu Touch. The problem is you can't really run any Linux app, it has to be written to support their specific display manager. Running regular Linux apps is possible but not properly documented and I haven't gotten it to work. Android apps through Waydroid sort of works, but is unstable and not suitable for daily use. I really want Linux on mo", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android"}]}], "who": [{"by": "seba_dos1", "context": "uses a GNU/Linux phone", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48688551", "date": "2026-06-26"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["running android apps on linux", "running android apps", "android emulator", "running android apps on linux phone", "running android apps on wayland"], "compared": [{"slug": "kde", "name": "KDE", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50051530", "title": "Will Linux phones become a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49390132", "title": "Omacom Foundation Launches with $8M", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49307099", "title": "AI Driven Testing", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49188022", "title": "I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48687272", "title": "Jolla Phone, Over 13 500 units sold", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46688804", "title": "Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"warn": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"neutral": 3}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 800833216, "item_id": 50052076, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052076", "by": "apatheticonion", "date": "2026-10-12", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Linux has Waydroid so Android apps can be run on Linux at full speed without emulation.", "excerpt": "The lack of polish is a function of the inability to use the hardware. The hardware is tightly gatekept so competition _cannot_ exist. Regulators are the only ones who can force vendors to distribute documentation for and unlock their hardware. Once we can actually target the hardware, open source alternatives will be much better than first party options. You can already see the potential in the open source world. Li", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Will Linux phones become a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly?"}, {"id": 791147794, "item_id": 49446737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49446737", "by": "bbkane", "date": "2026-08-26", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I want to use WayDroid", "excerpt": "I love XFCE, but I switched to KDE as it supports Wayland (and I want to use WayDroid). KDE has a similar window + shortcut philosophy.", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Omacom Foundation Launches with $8M"}, {"id": 788924321, "item_id": 49307770, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49307770", "by": "jeffnash", "date": "2026-08-14", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It's designed to be used with an emulator called Waydroid", "excerpt": "What was the modality of interpreting the UI/interacting with the phone via ADB? Did you/your agent use screenshots + vision model to essentially target coordinates on screen? I ask because I'm curious if you found a non-screenshot + coordinate based ADB method to do so (that doesn't rely on UIAutomator). I wrote an APK that gives access to the accessibility service via an in-Android http server, which talks to a dae", "context": "", "use_case": "Android emulator", "switched_from": "", "story": "AI Driven Testing"}, {"id": 787045955, "item_id": 49190372, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49190372", "by": "droserasprout", "date": "2026-08-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "poor support of Magisk and Xposed in Waydroid", "excerpt": "I can confirm this holding OP6 (enchilada) in my hands \u2014 it's a flagship postmarketOS device. It also has other nerd options available \u2014 Sailfish and Windows (Renegade Project) \u2014 but obviously with poor hardware support. I highly recommend keeping an eye on postmarketOS blog. [1] It's a fun reading, and development's been really rapid lately. What stopped me from full migration to pmOS the last time I tried it about ", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux"}, {"id": 779016816, "item_id": 48688551, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48688551", "by": "seba_dos1", "date": "2026-06-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "if I need to launch my bank's application there's always Waydroid.", "excerpt": "> Desktop GNU/Linux programs are either unusable or a terrible experience on a mobile device with a small screen and no mouse. Is this an assumption or coming from your experience? Because I'm typing this on a GNU/Linux phone in a desktop browser and use a bunch of desktop applications daily and haven't noticed. Of course if you run GIMP or something like that it won't fit unless you plug an external screen and a mou", "context": "uses a GNU/Linux phone", "use_case": "running Android apps on Linux phone", "switched_from": "", "story": "Jolla Phone, Over 13 500 units sold"}, {"id": 748084993, "item_id": 46755312, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46755312", "by": "ottah", "date": "2026-01-25", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Android apps through Waydroid sort of works, but is unstable and not suitable for daily use.", "excerpt": "I have struggled with getting anything functional on a Fairphone running Ubuntu Touch. The problem is you can't really run any Linux app, it has to be written to support their specific display manager. Running regular Linux apps is possible but not properly documented and I haven't gotten it to work. Android apps through Waydroid sort of works, but is unstable and not suitable for daily use. I really want Linux on mo", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android"}, {"id": 737044211, "item_id": 46065263, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46065263", "by": "Fnoord", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "for running Android apps on Wayland there's Waydroid", "excerpt": "Wayland is fantastic, but it requires some external tools for some non-default (seemingly 'simple') utilization. Therein lies double work, devs scratching their itch in whatever programming language they prefer, sure. The most popular one isn't always the best. And all of that is the nature of the bazaar. But the way I regard it, the bazaar can make use of curators who make a cathedral and sell that (anyone can, in t", "context": "", "use_case": "running Android apps on Wayland", "switched_from": "", "story": "Exploring the Fragmentation of Wayland, an xdotool adventure"}]}