The standalone app does not require Visual Studio

Jul 29, 2015 05:41 GMT  ·  By

This is not the first time Microsoft releases an Android emulator, but it's the first time that the standalone application does not require users to install Visual Studio as well.

The new Visual Studio Emulator for Android is now available for download to those who want to test their apps on the PC, in their original environment.

Along with the announcement of its release, Microsoft also published a set of instructions that will allow developers to take advantage of all the features included in Visual Studio Emulator for Android.

Before reading about that, keep in mind that this version of the emulator will still require a version of Windows that includes Hyper-V support, which means that you will need Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise editions, as well as Windows Server 2008 and 2012.

If you plan on working with the new Android Emulator released by Microsoft, then you should also know that it does not include Google Play services, so some apps will need to be slightly modified before being ran in the emulator.

Once you install the Android Emulator, you will be able to install and start device profiles. According to Microsoft, there are a few KitKat profiles installed by default, so you will be able to get it up and running very easy.

It asks users to activate a free license with their Microsoft Accounts

You will be asked to activate a free license, so in order to do that you will have to sign in to an Azure Active Directory or Microsoft Account. You can defer activating your free license for 30 days by choosing the option “Not now, maybe later.”

Microsoft's Android emulator connects to ADB (Android Debug Bridge) as if it were a USB-connected device, but you should configure Android Studio to allow you to select a target in order to avoid choosing to debut to the slow Android SDK emulator.

Make sure you check out the full instructions on how to do that on Microsoft's new Android Emulator dedicated webpage.