Can we sideload on BB10?

**CatlinFD** · 12-25-2012, 06:34 PM

If so, I have a few questions:

- Can you sideload Google Play (Android Market) to browse and download apps?
- Do Android Apps work with BIS and push notifications or will your battery life be drained?
- Can Android Apps access the camera and other features such as the microphone for apps such as SoundHound ?
- If one is unhappy with BB10 apps, can they just rely on Android Apps to get them through? i.e. Android Google Maps, Android Facebook Messenger, etc

**greatwiseone** · 12-25-2012, 06:44 PM

1) 100% sure Google Play won't work on BB10.

2) Android apps will work like any other app on BB10. I think push is going to be handled by RIM's architecture, but I am not 100% sure.

3) Android apps have access to Camera and most (if not all) hardware API's. I haven't tested SoundHound and so is not 100% sure if it'll work (Some android apps don't work properly on BB10 because it utilizes components of the Android native SDK which is not supported by BB10).

4) Yes and no. Give that FB messenger is on currently BBOS, it should be there on BB10 (in any event it'll be part of the BB Hub). There's a version of Google Maps that works on the Dev Alpha, but you will likely need to sideload it. Not all big Android apps work on BB10, and so whether or not you can get by with just Android apps is unclear.

**CatlinFD** · 12-25-2012, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by greatwiseone

1) 100% sure Google Play won't work on BB10.

2) Android apps will work like any other app on BB10. I think push is going to be handled by RIM's architecture, but I am not 100% sure.

3) Android apps have access to Camera and most (if not all) hardware API's. I haven't tested SoundHound and so is not 100% sure if it'll work (Some android apps don't work properly on BB10 because it utilizes components of the Android native SDK which is not supported by BB10).

4) Yes and no. Give that FB messenger is on currently BBOS, it should be there on BB10 (in any event it'll be part of the BB Hub). There's a version of Google Maps that works on the Dev Alpha, but you will likely need to sideload it. Not all big Android apps work on BB10, and so whether or not you can get by with just Android apps is unclear.

Hmm, alright

There's loads of my favorite Android Apps that won't debut on BB10, unless someone on CrackBerry ports them or teaches me how to port them, and I'm growing tired of not having them on BBOS7 so sideloading is the next best thing imo.

**greatwiseone** · 12-25-2012, 07:20 PM

Which Android apps are you thinking of? You can find some of them here (http://apps.goodereader.com/).

**CatlinFD** · 12-25-2012, 07:36 PM

CamScanner
DrawSomething
Youtube (There's no Native Client or maybe it's coming?)
Firefox BETA
Engadget
Google Maps
Mangler
Teamspeak
Paypal
ScannerRadio
Various Bank Apps
TapTalk
Winamp
Various grocery store apps

etc

**BB_Bmore** · 12-25-2012, 07:38 PM

I wouldn't be surprised to see an upgrade to Jelly bean with BlackBerry10. If not at launch then sometime soon after. No this isn't a fantasy of mine but rather something they (RIM) are chasing after. The ultimate 2 for 1 device. Please feel free to flame.

Sent from my BlackBerry by Choice using Tapatalk

**CatlinFD** · 12-25-2012, 07:41 PM

It wouldn't do RIM any good to offer Jelly Bean or any form of Android port on BlackBerry. The hardware and software is completely locked down, so is the bootloader thus uncrackable therefore you probably wouldn't be able to mod Android etc. You'd have little customization.

**Skeevecr** · 12-25-2012, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by CatlinFD

It wouldn't do RIM any good to offer Jelly Bean or any form of Android port on BlackBerry. The hardware and software is completely locked down, so is the bootloader thus uncrackable therefore you probably wouldn't be able to mod Android etc. You'd have little customization.

He means that the Android player would be running Jellybean rather than the older version that is currently on the playbook right now and didn't mean that it would actually be installing android.

**CatlinFD** · 12-27-2012, 01:25 AM

Oh right. (10 char)

**Xopher** · 12-27-2012, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by CatlinFD

- Can you sideload Google Play (Android Market) to browse and download apps?

No, you can't. Google Play relies on the Google Framework in the background to log into Play. That would have to be installed as well, and needs to be a system app, so it would need to be part of the OS to begin with. Apps have to be converted to a .bar file to be installed as well. You can't take an Android .apk file and install it without porting it first.

- Do Android Apps work with BIS and push notifications or will your battery life be drained?

Android apps will probably not work with BIS features, at least for Push. It will work like any Android app on an Android device, relying on whatever technology was built into the app in the first place. If the data goes over BIS, it will probably use data compression, but that would be the back end QNX/BB10 handling that.

- Can Android Apps access the camera and other features such as the microphone for apps such as SoundHound ?

Ported apps do have access to the camera and audio API (ever since PBOS 2.1 on the PlayBook as well). I'm not sure if they have to be ported with any specific method to gain access, or permissions, but the option is available. The versions of SoundHound and Shazam I've tried haven't worked, but I don't know if they were just older ports.

- If one is unhappy with BB10 apps, can they just rely on Android Apps to get them through? i.e. Android Google Maps, Android Facebook Messenger, etc

Some Android apps definitely make up for not having native apps available. But not every Android app will run. If the app was built with a newer API set, it can crash (Android is up to API 15 - not sure how up to date the Android Player is). It also looks like apps made with the Android NDK (C++) also don't work in the Android Player (although this could be an API level issue). The apps that do work, though, work very well.

**randall2580** · 12-27-2012, 04:58 PM

At best I believe I have heard the updated Android emulator in BB10 will be ICS, and I have even seen discussion on that as well, though there is general consensus that it runs better on the Dev Alpha than it does on the PlayBook.

Android apps on BB's also won't update unless you go get the update, convert it and side load the new version. Any apps that are updated to take advantage of new features offered in the newest Android OS will not be available to BB's which will most likely stay 2 versions behind current software.

Apps were granted access to the camera in the recent updates to PlayBook but I have not heard of any significant app that makes available to the PlayBook - anyone know of one - I would love to stand corrected on this one.

I can tell you Scanner Radio works just fine on the PlayBook, and I understand Google Maps works but not turn by turn navigation or street view.

**z_scorpio_z** · 12-28-2012, 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by randall2580

... and I understand Google Maps works but not turn by turn navigation or street view.

This youtube video seems to indicate navigation working.

I also had google navigation working on PB for a while, until I wiped it etc and never bothered again.

here is another website [not sure if it has been kept up to date], that might help you get an idea of how much Android app compatibility to expect.

PlayBook BARs

**randall2580** · 12-28-2012, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by z_scorpio_z

This youtube video seems to indicate navigation working.

I also had google navigation working on PB for a while, until I wiped it etc and never bothered again.

here is another website [not sure if it has been kept up to date], that might help you get an idea of how much Android app compatibility to expect.

PlayBook BARs

There is a post in the PlayBook forum "Will we get Google Maps" and I remembered seeing this video and replied it could be side loaded. Another member said he had side loaded GMaps to PlayBook and could not get Nav, Lattitude or Street View. I tried it myself with the same results (Maps worked, but Nav, Lattitude and SV did not work).

Perhaps there is a difference in the Dev Alpha Android Emulator that allows it to work better?

**bensh** · 03-15-2013, 12:09 PM

So I sideloaded the GMaps .apk onto my BB10 today, and although it gets my position fine and routes a map, the navigation does not work, the needle doesn't follow me and its always stuck to "Searching for GPS". I got a SYS_dUMP of the BB10 file system the other day, so plan to compare the gps.conf from my S2 and the BB10