Ever wanted Android on your Steam Deck instead of that pesky SteamOS? No? Well, we didn't either, but YouTuber ED4T decided to give it a go anyway! It actually works surprisingly well considering. They decided to use a custom version of Android known as Bliss OS, which is designed for x86 devices such as the Steam Deck, rather than for ARM, which is what the typical Android device uses. All they had to do was put the OS onto a Micro SD card, and then select the OS when booting the Steam Deck, job done!

Check out ED4T's video on the process, how Android runs on the Steam Deck, and some of the setbacks you might encounter:

While many things did work fine, such as Wi-Fi, the touchscreen, controls, charging the battery, general Android features, and the Google Play Store. Other things weren't so successful, games such as Pokemon Unite, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, and Call of Duty failed to load.

There's also a lack of dual-boot support, meaning the Steam Deck will automatically boot into the Android operating system if the Micro SD card is inserted, and if there is no Micro SD card, the Steam Deck will fail to boot. This means that to get into SteamOS, you will need to enter the boot menu each time you boot the system. ED4T mentions, and I have no doubt too, that this will be possibly the main frustration with the current method.

AndroidOnDeck1

At the moment, Android on the Steam Deck seems like a novelty to mess around with one evening, rather than a serious option for the device, but it is interesting to see what you are able to do with the Steam Deck.

What do you think? Does Android on the Steam Deck interest you? Let us know in the comments below!

Originally Seen On: Retro Resolve

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Oliver Stogden
Oliver began playing video games at an early age, starting with the SNES console and Commodore Amiga computer. Nowadays, his interest is in the future of portable technology, such as handheld gaming systems, portable power stations/banks, and portable monitors. And seeing just how far we can push these devices.
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