Provide a x86 binary of the Android client for better ChromeOS compatibility

Feature Requests Mobile Features
,
#1

As a Roblox developer, it is currently too hard to reach Chromebook users.

Chromebooks use their own Operating System, ChromeOS, which is unable to run windows programs. However, ChromeOS is capable of running Android apps, so with the right accommodations, it could be possible to run Roblox android on ChromeOS. The main limitation with this approach is that apps must provide a x86 binary, otherwise the OS is forced to translate the program through a slow and limited arm64 to x86_64 compatibility layer, which isn’t suitable for an app as complex as Roblox.

If Roblox is able to address this issue, it would improve my development experience because I’d be able to make my experiences available on Chromebooks.

ChromeOS takes care of the compatibility layer, so the only change needed on Roblox’s end would be providing this x86 binary.

29 Likes
#2

Update: since version 635 it’s finally arrived
image

7 Likes
#3

Oh yeah. This caught me off-guard. Closing as solved.

1 Like
#4

Where are you finding these to download?

1 Like
#5

There are two legitimate ways:

  • Use an x86_64 android device like Chromebooks and emulators for example to download Roblox and extract the APKs using ADB, or:
  • Use AuroraStore and enable manual download. This does use Google Play’s servers (although it also includes a proxy for unsupported regions) so the files integrity should be 100% matched with the Roblox app downloaded on x86_64 devices.
1 Like
#7

I tried looking for a recent version since 635 that had an x86_64 config, but to no avail.
Alas, even when trying it, it still succumbed to what my chromebook would usually do, hang on the loading screen, then refresh itself, and freeze. I’m not even entirely sure if it was using the x86_64 version, but whatever.

#8

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.