Mac owners can now run Android apps on their computer with the release of BlueStacks for OS X. The free BlueStacks Android emulator has been available on Windows for some time, but now the Mac version has finally been released, three years after an alpha release was first made available.
BlueStacks lets you run the vast majority of Android apps and games on a computer, meaning you don't need an Android tablet or smartphone to harvest the fruits of the Play Store. That's particularly beneficial for Mac owners, who are statistically far more likely to be in the iPhone/iPad camp.
BlueStacks claims 96% compatibility with Android apps, although that figure drops to 86% for games. Popular titles such as Clash of Clans, Despicable Me: Minion Run and the various Candy Crush titles are playable via BlueStacks. Although most leading games and apps are also available on iOS, many are cheaper on Android.
BlueStacks gives users unrestricted access to the Play Store, where they can sign in with their Google account and even synchronise apps already installed on other Android devices.
The obvious limitation for Mac owners is that they don't have any access to touchscreens, meaning they will need to rely on touchpad/mouse and keyboard controls to navigate through apps that are designed for touch devices. BlueStacks provides hints on keyboard shortcuts that can be used to replace specific touch commands, such as pinch-to-zoom, before an app loads.
We've noticed some glitches in our Windows installation of BlueStacks, most notably the inability to play video content, but most of the apps we've tried run smootly.
BlueStacks can be downloaded here .
