While you can remotely set up and run Raspberry Pi without a monitor or an ethernet cable, you will need a host of wired accessories if you choose to install Android on your Raspberry Pi 4 board. So in this article, we bring you a detailed guide on how to install Android on Raspberry Pi 4 and 3. We have also mentioned a way to run the Android 11 build on Raspberry Pi, but for stability and good performance, we have chosen to stick with Android 10. With that in mind, let’s go ahead and learn how to run Android on Raspberry Pi 4 and RPi 3.
This is an all-in-one guide for both beginners and experts to get Android running on Raspberry Pi. I would suggest you closely follow the step-by-step instructions, and you will have Android running on your board in no time.
- Minimum Requirements
- Essential Downloads
- Install Android on Raspberry Pi
- Install Google Play Store on Android-based Raspberry Pi
- Fix “Device is not Play Protect certified” Error on Raspberry Pi
Basic Requirements
You will need a separate monitor to set up and install Android on Raspberry Pi.
Keyboard and mouse. If you have a wireless combo one, that’s even better.
First of all, download Android for Raspberry Pi. A developer named KonstaKANG is popular for making Android ROMs for Raspberry Pi 3 and 4. The ROMs are based on Lineage OS and available in many versions, including Android 9, 10, and 11. Depending on your board, download any Android version, but I would recommend Android 10 for stability. You can click here to head over to the download page for RPi 4. If you want to download Android for RPi3, click on the Devices menu at the top-right corner.
Once you have downloaded the Android build, extract it, and you will get an IMG file.
Next, open balenaEtcher and select the Android IMG file. In my case, it’s an Android 10 build. After that, choose the SD card and click on “Flash!“.
Now that you have installed Android on Raspberry Pi, it’s time to add support for Google Play Store and other services. Use a USB drive and move the GApps package to Raspberry Pi from your computer. I tried downloading the GApps package directly on the Raspberry Pi, but that didn’t work. If you can download it on the board itself, it will be easier for you.
Once you have moved the GApps package to the board, open Settings and move to “About tablet”. Here, click on “Build Number” 7-8 times continuously to unlock Developer Options. You can search for “build” on the Settings page if “About tablet” does not appear on the settings page.
Now, click on the TWRP icon on the top-left corner, and it will take you to the main menu. This time, navigate to Wipe -> Swipe to Factory Reset.
If you are getting this error on your Android-based Raspberry Pi, there is nothing to worry about. You can manually enroll your Android-based Raspberry Pi on Google’s list of certified devices. To begin with, install the Device ID app by Evozi (Play Store/ APKMirror) on Raspberry Pi. If Play Store is not opening for you, you can sideload the Device ID APK from APKMirror.
- Next, open the Device ID app, and it will display the code for Google Service Framework (GSF). Click on it and “copy” the code.
So that is how you can install and run Android on a Raspberry Pi. In this guide, I have chosen KonstaKANG’s Android build as it offers more stability and has wider support for older Pi boards. In case you want to run the latest Android 11 build, check out recently released OmniROM builds. That said, it’s only compatible with RPi 4, featuring at least 4GB of RAM. But the good part is that it comes preloaded with Google services.
