# Waydroid 28 Hacker News commenters recommended Waydroid and 17 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 13 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Runs most Android apps on Linux, and people report it works well for everyday use. The most common caveat is weaker security, since Waydroid disables SELinux and much of Android's app sandbox. ## Why people recommend it - Runs most Android apps on Linux (7 comments): "Linux has Waydroid so Android apps can be run on Linux at full speed without emulation." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50052076)) "I have personally tried it and honestly it does work great for the most part." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46804404)) "For the popular apps you mention, there is Waydroid to run Android apps." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49050938)) - Easy to use on a desktop (5 comments): "GNOME + Waydroid is the best experience I've had with a desktop OS on a tablet." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46094123)) "you just launch Waydroid, use the app and stop the container afterwards" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48764280)) "it feels much smoother, despite being another layer on top of the OS" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49198068)) - Works on Librem 5 phones (3 comments): "Personally, I do not use Android apps on the Librem 5, but Waydroid is available in the PureOS repository." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48763367)) "even then it just works in Waydroid, so I can still use it on a GNU/Linux phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48764476)) "I've been using Waydroid with microG on a Librem 5 with PureOS for years." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47635862)) - Runs banking and payment apps (3 comments): "mobile BLIK payments can be done from the Android app which works inside Waydroid with microG" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46796117)) "I can run some 'important' apps in Waydroid" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49193365)) "You can run a bank app with Waydroid" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48353637)) ## What people warn about - Weaker security, SELinux disabled (7 comments): "Waydroid has far worse privacy and security from Android apps than running them on AOSP or especially GrapheneOS." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47053881)) "Waydroid disables most of Android's standard privacy and security model through not supporting SELinux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49364102)) "Waydroid disables most of the Android privacy and security model through not having functional SELinux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49364386)) - Many apps fail or run poorly (3 comments): "a large portion of Android apps do not work with it because they use APIs unavailable or broken with it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49367292)) "Android apps through Waydroid sort of works, but is unstable and not suitable for daily use." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46755312)) "It has poor app compatibility and isn't a good approach to running Android in another OS." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48766330)) - Needs special kernel and setup (3 comments): "on a fedora desktop it is a little bit rough. It takes a lot of finagling to get anything that requires Google services running" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49366203)) "Waydroid, for instance, requires that your kernel is compiled in basically "Android mode" (e.g. binder enabled)." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46182727)) "the Android-only approach requires Waydroid or a deprecated Windows feature to run on desktop, unfortunately" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46301703)) - Looks unmaintained, latest beta old (2 comments): "The latest Waydroid beta is over three years old. Waydroid is dead and I haven't found an alternative." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47636164)) "Doesnt look like it's still maintained, but it shows it is possible." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49566690)) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Waydroid", https://hackerapproved.com/p/waydroid/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).