Wait, so it's possible to run Android apps in a lightweight container similar to docker on Linux?
this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2025
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Valve's version of Android on Linux (based on Waydroid) is now called Lepton
(www.gamingonlinux.com)
Has been for a long time with Waydroid. This is probably gonna make it easier to use.
That's the greatest thing about this. I've tried multiple times to set up Waydroid and it never worked properly, and had a ton of issues with my system for reasons I still can't figure out.
If there's one thing Valve's incredibly good at, it's providing easy to use services. Proton is damn easy to set up, and once it is, you can run all sorts of shit you would otherwise have a hard time running.
I have a feeling Lepton will be very similar, and that's what makes it so cool compared to regular 'ol Waydroid.
I used to play Bloons this way back in the day (just not on Linux)
Yes, but don't think you're going to be automatically playing games with a keyboard and mouse if they don't already support that 🤣
I feel like there should be some way of mapping things so you can.
Actually I'm more interested in apps like bank apps and tax authorities login apps. But I guess it's more similar to Graphine OS where it also doesn't work because of lack of google libs?
Not simple libs, an entire trust chain from boot to running app that is supposed to improve security and integrity. It also happens to have the side effect of making the entire chain dependent on Google, which I'm sure Google is totally not happy about you know.
There are certain utilities, but it's generally not useable.
Also most games where k/m would give you an edge over touch controls run detection and ban accounts anyway.
I can't wait to use this on a Linux phone
This seems like a big deal
It was a big deal when they announced it several weeks ago. It just flew under the radar for some reason. This is just putting a name to it.
it can eventually turn into one if the project gets a lot of support. the problem is the current intention is to help occulus rift devs port their games to steam, and VR is a reletively niche audience, so its not going to get the development time it needs if it wants to explode.
tangently related, I do see a future where valve goes the route of game native and opens up steam officially on android, but its not quite there at the moment.
It could bridge the app gap when Linux phones become viable daily drivers
Steam storefront for Android, sounds very interesting.
Epic is already selling Android games. Would be dumb of the others not to do the same. I'm honestly astonished they haven't jumped on that train earlier. Especially with those big Android ports of older PC games a scheme of buy once play everywhere is pretty obvious. But apart from Itch nobody is doing that.
The Epic v Google case was settled recently, in November, I guess they were waiting for that.
I'm honestly astonished they haven't jumped on that train earlier.
I agree but there are reasons why they may not have done this. Namely that (in the past) if they start selling Android games, they would have to delist it from the Google Play Store, because that was not allowed. But that has changed recently (thanks Timmy).
Waydroid is GPLv3 and that's great. Hopefully contributions will be upstreamed. Waydroid, Wine, FEX... Valve is contributing to great things!
Biggest two issues with Waydroid are x86 to ARM translation and correct GPU passthrough:
https://github.com/waydroid/waydroid/issues/2115
In theory, you should be able to just play Fortnite on linux this way, but I haven't been able to get it to launch like this guy did.
People have also been calling Waydroid dead for a while now which I dont know how true it is.
This is more for their VR headset that's coming out. It will be running ARM, so no concerns there. It will allow devs to port their existing Meta Quest games (which are Android APKs) very easily.
In reality meta quest games use their Platform SDK (for things like user entitlement check, match making, leaderboards, DLC) I'm not sure it'll be an easy port for Quest games because you'll be missing Meta's services that run on the quest itself.
It wouldn't be a completely effortless port but that stuff is pretty minor especially for single player games.
For ARM to x86 I was using LibHoudini, for x86 to ARM I don't see the point. I mean, most apk are built for ARM.
Ah I said it backwards lol.
Yeah same with libhoudini. Problem is I could only get fortnite to execute with libndk, but it would crash when trying to do stuff with Vulkan. Would seem to complelty ignore libhoudini which was weird.
And before anyone asks, not because I want to play Fortnite, but because I inadvertently left some poor kid on Fedora where they can play all of their favorite games perfectly fine except fortnite lol.
Pretty sure Waydroid uses the x86 image of LineageOS, cus last time I used it (like a year or more ago) I had to get x86 version of APKs I wanted to install.
Waydroid is a container (like docker), not an emulator. So waydroid on its own on a regular x86 Computer will Run only x86 Android Apps, but if it were installed on an ARM machine (like one if the Snapdragon Laptops) it would run normal (ARM) Android Apps (and no x86).
To run any android app on x86 you need to emulate ARM, which waydroid doesn't do on its own, but scripts exist to add it to waydroid; https://github.com/casualsnek/waydroid_script
I'm assuming Valves Lepton does all if the for you, as well as using some optimized settings for some of the most popular Apps.
When I last used Waydroid (also about a year ago) I had problems with GPU Acceleration not working. All I wanted was SmartTube on my HTPC, but all videos were insanely choppy and laggy, so I hope they focus on that a lo. (if anyone knows a way to get ad-free YouTube with a TV like interface for free on linux, please let me know :) (I've also tried Kodi with a YouTube Plug-In and while it worked, the interface was pretty ass, so I'm just using Firefox with UBlock and a Bluetooth Mouse+Keyboard, which works but it like to be able to control it using just a cheap USB remote that I have)
Latest release was 2 weeks ago. Not sure how "dead" that is.
Aw man, at first I thought this was an Android desktop OS. Android being in Google's pocket is trash, but you gotta admit the Android permissions system would be an enormous privacy/security upgrade over nearly all other Linux distros, especially factoring in ease of use/understandability (speaking as someone with a functional Qubes setup).
Doesn't flatpak achieve similar? Won't ask for permission at runtime though.
I think it would be easier to beef up Flatpak's permissions system than to become reliant on Google
An interesting looking frog there. No doubt an in-joke from a certain Linux developer Discord server.
?
Lepton to match Proton, I guess? Very interesting! I wonder what they're going to do next...Boson? Photon? Gluon? Graviton?
Electr- no, wait.
I think they should've called it Electron, since a Proton is a specific particle (or more accurately specific combination of 3 Quarks = Baryon) while Leptons are a whole class of particles (electron, myon, tauon, Neutrinos).
I know Electron is already taken by the JavaScript Software Framework Tool, but still.
Gluon would be a great name to combine all these different tools with each other, where the correct Proton/Lepton/FEX or other (future) translation layers are used automatically, so the user doesn't need to know that there a different technologies under the hood depending on what your trying to run
I’m not used to the Android ecosystem. Are there any good Android games I would want to play on my PC?
No :)
Idk maybe, but it might be interesting for non game applications like AR apps and such
I recommend starting your game search here friend. https://f-droid.org/en/categories/games/
Thank you. I am decently underwhelmed.
First thing that comes to my mind is that one-off unmantained and cant be played anymore Dead Space game. Heard that it was great before they killed the support for it.