Looking to install crypto related mobile apps in my laptop.

[coupable]

In fact, i don't like mobile phones and i did always prefer my laptop over mobiles. All the mobile apps i need (Whattsup/Authy/Google2FA) are installed in an old model version of Nokia which can't support many new updates and i don't use it to receive calls or sms. In fact, i love my life without cell phones.
And as i am a crypto enthusiast, i found myself obligated to use several mobile apps just to test some services for once. Recently, a friend of mine suggested me to install an android simulator by which i can install all the android apps in my laptop without the need to buy a smartphone.
I searched the net about this and find many options which i found difficult to chose from.

My questions :
- Do you know any trusted android simulator which you tried by yourself and is it really safe to install wallet apps without a single doubt that the developer can still info from the installed apps ?
- Does there an alternative for IOS apps ?

[BitMaxz]

Why not try Bluestacks? I have experienced using them before and based on what other people said it's safe I have a few crypto-related apps that I always try to install on Bluestacks but sometimes few apps do not work with Bluestacks.

If you are looking for crypto-related apps for IOS then there are only a few that I know you can install on IOS.
Like Coinmarketcap, Coingecko, Blockfolio and tradingview. You can also check other IOS apps here

[Findingnemo]

Bluestacks seems the best Android emulator which works well for both games and all the Apps apart from this we have tons of Android emulator like Android Studio which is official Google's emulator, Geny motion but no matter what Android emulator we are using it will be unstable so you can't get the experience of using an Android device by using emulators.

If you are going to install cryptocurrency wallets using emulators I won't recommend any emulators cause it can crash randomly which can leads to loss of our money so just go for an Cheap Android device than using PC for installing Android apps.

[bitmover]

In fact, i don't like mobile phones and i did always prefer my laptop over mobiles. All the mobile apps i need (Whattsup/Authy/Google2FA) are installed in an old model version of Nokia which can't support many new updates and i don't use it to receive calls or sms. In fact, i love my life without cell phones.
And as i am a crypto enthusiast, i found myself obligated to use several mobile apps just to test some services for once. Recently, a friend of mine suggested me to install an android simulator by which i can install all the android apps in my laptop without the need to buy a smartphone.
I searched the net about this and find many options which i found difficult to chose from.

My questions :
- Do you know any trusted android simulator which you tried by yourself and is it really safe to install wallet apps without a single doubt that the developer can still info from the installed apps ?
- Does there an alternative for IOS apps ?

Have you tried the desktop version of authy? It works pretty well. I use it.
https://authy.com/download/

You can just use authy and ignore google2fa completely. You don't even need a smartphone for authy.

[mk4]

Like what previous replies said, BlueStacks is pretty reputable(though not open-source). Based on experience though, trying out wallet software on BlueStacks is pretty hit or miss; like only half of what I was testing back then worked out decently.

If you want to take this slightly seriously, you're better off buying a cheap android phone.

[noorman0]

Bluestacks is still the best choice. Given that you want to install on a laptop device that (people's opinion) the performance is not as good as a PC, the specifications of your device need to be considered before installing. The device spec reference says that both Windows and Mac OS require a minimum of 4GB. If you are a Windows user, it's best if your laptop's ram size is more than that.

Based on my experience (spec: windows 10, ram 4), Bluestack is not running well, crashes and sometimes deletes the login data of all apps by itself if you don't open it for a certain period of time. The higher the emulator version, the higher the required device performance.

[Maus0728]

Wait! If you are looking for a 2-factor authentication app for your laptop/desktop because you don't want to have phone in your life, then I think you are defeating the purpose of 2FA especially if all your crypto related accounts (e.g., exchange, wallet) is installed on the same device. And I don't think that there is any other way around to secure your account besides using a phone specifically for 2FA use only or a yubikey hardware device.

But what specific crypto application do you need? I am sure that there are crypto related applications that supports both mobile and mac os devices without needing Bluestacks.

[hugeblack]

Why not buy a cheap phone, root it, remove all apps and install certain apps, blocking physical internet access? Or a cheaper option to buy a hardware wallet?

i found myself obligated to use several mobile apps just to test some services for once.

Why do you need to test the services once?
Even buying a phone and preventing it from connecting to the Internet is better than installing android simulator on the computer that is always connected to the Internet.

In general, you can get an Android system suitable for computers (Remix OS or Android-x86) and then modify BIOS to boot from it next to your main operating system^{[1] [2]}.

Anyway In brief:

 - Download Remix OS from the official site.
 - Launch the Remix OS.
 - Install it to the hard drive and Reboot.

[1] How to dual boot Windows 10 and Android
[2] How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows on an Android Smartphone

[sunsilk]

I've tried Bluestacks but even it's reliable, tried and tested. I wouldn't choose to use it and install an authenticator on it, you'll never know if there's a backdoor or someone's watching you through them. Well, that may sound paranoid but if it involves your fund, I'll do more extra care in using and choosing apps that I'll use. I also tried another android emulator but I think it's worse and BS is still the top choice if it's about android emulators.

Based on my experience (spec: windows 10, ram 4), Bluestack is not running well, crashes and sometimes deletes the login data of all apps by itself if you don't open it for a certain period of time. The higher the emulator version, the higher the required device performance.

Updates eat space of our pc and I think OPs laptop would be one of the latest and this won't be a problem to him. As crashes happens, there's some reason like lack of space and no more space for the files that needs an update.

[coupable]

Based on my experience (spec: windows 10, ram 4), Bluestack is not running well, crashes and sometimes deletes the login data of all apps by itself if you don't open it for a certain period of time. The higher the emulator version, the higher the required device performance.

I have tried to search about Bluestack after being suggested in the above comments, and it seems that it doesn't work properly in all operating systems due to performance issues. According to many reviews, yes it could crash at any time and there are no guarantees about which Bluestack version is running the best.
However, i didn't find any negative reviews in term of security.

What's OS of your laptop? If you use Linux i would recommend Anbox and Waydroid. Both of them are open-source and have relative good performance (since those aren't emulator).

If you use Windows, Bluestack and Genymotion is fine option (although it's not open source) and i never hear them stealing user data/credential. But if you're looking for open source alternative, i'm only aware of Android Emulator (part of Android Studio) which is difficult to set up.

I am using Windows10 with 4GB memory.
I have also search about Genymotion, like Bluestack, it requires an updated version of virtualbox.

If you want to take this slightly seriously, you're better off buying a cheap android phone.

I already have one. I am here looking for another solution to avoid using it completely, but it seems that options are too limited.

[NeuroticFish]

If you are only testing, you should not play with big money, hence you should not be concerned that much about stealing.
If you want to be serious about your funds, consider hardware wallet and an application that works well on your OS, like Electrum for Windows (from electrum.org and verified) <- I don't know though if HW would work with android emulators, if you want tests with that.

Then I would also recommend Android Studio's emulator, since imho normally that's what the app devs would also use primarily for testing their apps.

[BitMaxz]

I have tried to search about Bluestack after being suggested in the above comments, and it seems that it doesn't work properly in all operating systems due to performance issues.

If you are using a PC with onboard graphics the performance is very slow and you will always experience some lags and crashes unless you have a graphics card.

You can also try to adjust the settings to performance mode and if you have a graphics card installed make sure to change the settings to dedicated GPU it will give more boost to performance and far from crashes.

[dkbit98]

Do you know any trusted android simulator which you tried by yourself and is it really safe to install wallet apps without a single doubt that the developer can still info from the installed apps ?

I totally understand you about smartphones because I don't like them also, and I am not the guy who is against technology, using desktop and laptops is more than enough for me.
As for simulators I tested few of them and it all depends on operating system you have, but most of them are working on windows, but  I wouldn't exactly say they are secure because most of them are closed source.

Let me start by Linux emulators that are all open source:
- Android-x86 (open source)
- Genymotion (I think this is most used for Linux, can be used with VirtualBox, but it's not open source)
- Anbox (open source)

Best emulators for wiNd0ws are all closed source, but they are free with boring ads, so you can test them but don't use them for keeping anything important:
- LDPlayer
- Nox
- Memu
- BlueStacks

Does there an alternative for IOS apps ?

Unlike Android, I never used any iOS emulators but I did a search and Appetize.io came up ontop most of the times.
Do your own research about this.

Wait! If you are looking for a 2-factor authentication app for your laptop/desktop because you don't want to have phone in your life, then I think you are defeating the purpose of 2FA especially if all your crypto related accounts (e.g., exchange, wallet) is installed on the same device. And I don't think that there is any other way around to secure your account besides using a phone specifically for 2FA use only or a yubikey hardware device.

It's not a good idea to keep 2-factor authentication app on same device, but if he really wants to do it there are much better ways than installing complete android emulator for that.
There are some browser extensions that I don't recommend using but you can test them, or use software called WinAuth, portable open-source Authenticator for Windows.
Note that this software is not updated anymore:
https://github.com/winauth/winauth

PS
You can use some old junk smartphone without sim card or internet connection and just install Aegis or andOTP or any similar app.
Just make sure to have safe backups.

[noorman0]

I have tried to search about Bluestack after being suggested in the above comments, and it seems that it doesn't work properly in all operating systems due to performance issues. According to many reviews, yes it could crash at any time and there are no guarantees about which Bluestack version is running the best.
However, i didn't find any negative reviews in term of security.

Yeah, I said Bluestack is the best choice because it is the most used, the most recommended in several places and considering in terms of the app itself (appearance, device support, features and security of server exploits). As for the performance of the app it is an external issue which you can adjust.

Operating a certain OS through an emulator will not be as good as using the original device. It forces completely incompatible hardware to perform odd tasks. Long term use will damage your device itself.

[coupable]

Do you know any trusted android simulator which you tried by yourself and is it really safe to install wallet apps without a single doubt that the developer can still info from the installed apps ?

I totally understand you about smartphones because I don't like them also, and I am not the guy who is against technology, using desktop and laptops is more than enough for me.
As for simulators I tested few of them and it all depends on operating system you have, but most of them are working on windows, but  I wouldn't exactly say they are secure because most of them are closed source.

- Believe me, not everybody is fun with mobile smartphones. Me myself i don't have an active sim card , the two sim cards i own are for sms code authentification for few web apps i used to run frequently.
- I use Windows , and even if i can possess a computer with compatible operating system caracteristics, i wouldn't fully trust most of the apps , simply because all of them are closed sources. And this is why i am asking here to chose one upon to trusted busers experiences. 

Let me start by Linux emulators that are all open source:
- Android-x86 (open source)
- Genymotion (I think this is most used for Linux, can be used with VirtualBox, but it's not open source)
- Anbox (open source)

I really wish i can try Android-86 or Anbox , but unfortunetly i am not familiar with Lunix.

Best emulators for wiNd0ws are all closed source, but they are free with boring ads, so you can test them but don't use them for keeping anything important:
- LDPlayer
- Nox
- Memu
- BlueStacks

I would avoid anything with boring ads.

PS
You can use some old junk smartphone without sim card or internet connection and just install Aegis or andOTP or any similar app.
Just make sure to have safe backups.

Many apps are not supported by old junk smartphones. I already have one.

[coupable]

I am using Windows10 with 4GB memory.

4GB is rather tight for both Windows 10 and Android emulator. While it's possible, i expect you'll need to close other application which use lots of RAM or follow guide to reduce RAM usage on Windows. Alternatively, you could follow @hugeblack to make dual boot system. But it's a bit challenging if you never done it before and require lots of storage space.

It's not possible for me to close all running apps just to open a single one for each time i need to open Android emulator. Boring time consumed tasks.

Do you have any problem install/configure Genymotion and VirtualBox?

If you know how to do this, please don't hesitate to advice me. I am not familiar with this kind of tasks and as always hard to easy find reliable tutorials in net .

[BitMaxz]

So you are looking for any open-source Android emulator/simulator?
How about Android OS that you can run through dual boot?

I search a bit for open-source Android emulators for windows but most of them are closed source. I found Android OS which is open-source and I think this is what you looking and you can review it on your own.

Check this link https://blissos.org/index.html#documentation you can find all open-source links at the bottom of that page.

[coupable]

So you are looking for any open-source Android emulator/simulator?
How about Android OS that you can run through dual boot?

Yes
I am already about to follow suggestion made by @hugeblak with dual boot. Seems it's the best option suitable to my needs.

Check this link https://blissos.org/index.html#documentation you can find all open-source links at the bottom of that page.

If it goes well with Android OS through dual boot, i won't bother myself checking more options. Otherwise, i will buy an old junk mobile just to avoid the headache that come from installing an emulator.
Honestly, i wish i learnd Lunix basics as it would save me a lot of time when looking for reliable apps.

[LoyceV]

i don't like mobile phones and i did always prefer my laptop over mobiles.

Me too, I especially hate typing without a keyboard (that's why my mobile posts are so short). But I've gotten used to it, especially Type faster by sliding your finger from letter to letter helps a lot. By now we have a drawer with various old phones, and I still use some old phones for certain apps (Coinomi for instance) just so I don't have to expose my normal phone to those apps.

And as i am a crypto enthusiast, i found myself obligated to use several mobile apps just to test some services for once. Recently, a friend of mine suggested me to install an android simulator by which i can install all the android apps in my laptop without the need to buy a smartphone.

I'm going to tell you what I would do. I've used emulators in the past, but not for Android. This experience has made me weary of emulators in general, and I now only use them as a last resort.
Instead, I would get a cheap Android phone. Anything with at least 2 GB RAM should work quite okay (but may be slow). I just checked: I can choose phones from Alcatel or Motorola under €100. Xiaomi is possible too, but I don't like them. You can probably go cheaper if you accept less RAM.

just go for an Cheap Android device than using PC for installing Android apps.

you're better off buying a cheap android phone.

Why not buy a cheap phone, root it, remove all apps and install certain apps, blocking physical internet access?

You can use some old junk smartphone without sim card or internet connection

Listen to those guys Except for the rooting, that may make it less safe.

I am using Windows10 with 4GB memory.

If it's not 32 bit, I'd see if your laptop allows an upgrade. My laptop is quite old, but runs Linux and has enough memory to still quite okay. I can't imagine running Virtualbox with only 4GB RAM. More memory (and switching HDD to SSD) is likely to make your computing experience so much better.

- Believe me, not everybody is fun with mobile smartphones. Me myself i don't have an active sim card , the two sim cards i own are for sms code authentification for few web apps i used to run frequently.

Can you share what kind of apps you want to use on the (emulated) phone?

I really wish i can try Android-86 or Anbox , but unfortunetly i am not familiar with Lunix.

Calling it Lunix instead of Linux makes saying you're not familiar an understatement

If it goes well with Android OS through dual boot, i won't bother myself checking more options. Otherwise, i will buy an old junk mobile just to avoid the headache that come from installing an emulator.
Honestly, i wish i learnd Lunix basics as it would save me a lot of time when looking for reliable apps.

What's stopping you from giving it a try? Choose a (Live) distro, burn it to DVD, and boot from it. You'll be able to run it without installing anything.

Long term use will damage your device itself.

Software shouldn't be able to damage your hardware.

[dkbit98]

I really wish i can try Android-86 or Anbox , but unfortunetly i am not familiar with Lunix.

I don't know what Lunix is, but you were not born by miracle with instant knowledge for wiNd0ws operating system, that means you can learn Linux OS very easy, and use it almost the same as other systems.

I would avoid anything with boring ads.

You can't really avoid ads in most android emulators, that is why they are freemium or you can pay for pro version and remove ads, games etc.
I think that installing other apps like Blokada5 will reduce or remove some ads on emulators, but I can't be 100% sure about that.

Many apps are not supported by old junk smartphones. I already have one.

Obviously but you don't need to use ALL apps that exist in the world, you can use that old phone of yours just for 2FA.
Simple.

Long term use will damage your device itself.

Unless emulator is mining bitcoins instead of asic miners or creating nuclear bomb in some weird way, I don't see how emulator can damage any computer.
wiNd0ws operating system will hurt your computer hardware soul much more than any emulator.

Me too, I especially hate typing without a keyboard (that's why my mobile posts are so short). But I've gotten used to it

Humans can get used to just about anything, including life in prison and slavery so I willingly choose not to like them for various reasons