You Can Now (Unofficially) Run Android On Nintendo Switch

I can already sense the "Nintendo Life promoting Hacking" posts

Anyways, just give me Netflix and I will be happy.

@antdickens @Bunkerneath Yeah, I honestly never understand those comments. Should newspapers not report illegal activities in case someone takes the idea and robs a bank? I'm interested in reading about this stuff and have no intention of modding anything.

@frabbit Why not? Gives good exposure to the hacking groups, encouraging them to produce more. How could that possibly have any negative impact on the gaming industry?

I’m too lazy to boot up another console to watch Netflix, but not lazy enough to earn extra money to buy another switch so you can spend time hacking it to watch videos when you already have 5 other ways to watch the same video.

Would I like to have option, obviously. But does not having it bother me, not a little.

Things is, I like being able to run Switch games on my Switch. I don't really want to sacrifice that to turn it into yet another Android tablet.

@spirit_flame Well do you want your news picked selectively or do you want all the information out there. If it exists, it can be written about as far as I'm concerned.

I don't see that the article glorifies the activity, which if so would be a different issue. It's just reporting the fact.

I yust Dont get it.
Why does Nintendo life mention this?
Its illegal and it hurts the business everybody with a Nintendo heart should abondom this.

@frabbit

The issue people are pointing out is the hypocrisy of NintendoLife constantly posting articles on hacking, emulators and ROMs, then deleting and not allowing posts about it in their forums because they "don't promote hacking".

yay piracy (emulators, roms) on Nintendolife!

Amazon are removing Prime video support from the Wii U soon.... which I was using as my method of streaming, does this... could this finally mean.... PrimeVideo on Switch ????

That and Netflix - yes please

I don't really have anything against installing Android or Linux on a console. This is an impressive achievement and a pretty cool way to have the ultimate portable emulator for old school consoles.
I wonder if the Switch Lite and the recent Switch with better battery life are also hackable.

@KennyBania They don't promote hacking though - as far as I've seen or read from the content of this and past articles. They're just reporting this as it's news.

If your argument is that the very existence of this article is NL promoting hacking then we'll just have to agree to disagree on that. I just don't want my news censored.

Here are similar articles from other sites:

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/29/20746304/android-nintendo-switch-nvidia-shield

https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/28/android-is-unofficially-available-for-the-nintendo-switch/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANw5Bp9whG7B02r98dKHUXxUsGIdJkrQRTGV8-YzZIX8FGiY50nNG2EUCc36noW_Hjq5_w4BAbr5XpPdmLdr9AgcUyVpKTwCZbBGA64myRdqVQ8X-ufHmRuCh3Ij8uYGqKhMIye9x3VGkLp9zGUA36vJIhxXICOjmTfAId0fjRHx

https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/295847-you-can-now-run-android-on-the-nintendo-switch

https://www.techradar.com/news/nintendo-switch-gets-unofficial-android-port

https://kotaku.com/android-is-now-unofficially-on-nintendo-switch-and-it-1836778770

@frabbit

The point being, they can discuss it on their website, none of their users can in the comments/forums.

"We can tell you what it does, who did it, and where you can get it...but don't you guys talk about it because we don't allow that!"

I find it hard to believe in 2019 that someone who has Netflix (and pays for it) and also bought a Switch and several games doesn't have a Smart TV already.

And if you want it on-the-go and don't care about the mobile data that you lose in doing so, you can also watch your favorite shows on the Netflix phone app. I mean, why is Netflix on Switch so important?

This is actually old news, it's last week's news. You forgot to mention it's Nvidia Shield's Android. It can run Shield's game: that means Nintendo's games that are only released in China.

@frabbit exactly what @KennyBania said, I had posts deleted on Pushsquare for telling someone how I downloaded P.T. and this involves no modification of the PS4 at all and can only be done if you had legitimately added it to your library at some point when it was available. Yet my posts are deleted I'm warned for my conduct and that on a site that literally has a guide for how to hack the Playstation classic. Whilst this very site posted a video detailing how to hack and add rooms to the NES classic.

Simply put they need to pick a side and stick to it

@antdickens I know. People will hack. FACT. But if you didnt report it some people will complain about that too, unfortunately you cannot win.

There is a difference between this and piracy. I have no problem with people making custom software for their device. I see it as the same thing as modding your car or PC. Piracy is stealing someone else's software. Android is technically open source. Once you have Android running on a device, that opens up basically any Android app around.

The problem is that the same homebrew and modding tends to enable piracy. It also tends to enable cheating too.

@Moroboshi876 That's just silly, smart TVs are very very far from being standard. Many people use the same TVs for years and years. Don't let the media hype for smart TVs, 4k, 8k or whatever other buzzword they want to use, distract you.

@frabbit you're right, with the exception of a fact that when a bank is robbed, news services do not say 'now you can unofficially rob a bank'

@Heavyarms55 But I'm not talking about 8K, I can see many people doesn't even know what 4K is. What I'm saying is the smart TVs are year after year more common and cheap. You don't have to pay more than a couple hundred to own one. Damn, the very screen where people is hooking their Switch to is a flat screen, and very probably with Smart TV functions, isn't it?

@YessMasster

"ISIS just blew up a market in Syria, now we are going to show you how to make the same bomb" - NintendoLife

I think haking and the use people make of it is not really connected to news that get published. On the other side, getting android on Switch makes it work almost like a Nvidia Shield and that is actually interesting as it makes you use Geforce NOW for streaming games that are not otherwise available on switch. That should also be natively possible because of the Tegra chip. Games you play with that service are totally legitimate, because you need to use a Steam or Uplay or other accounts, so you still need to buy the games. I think Nintendo and Nvidia should release a Geforce Now app, even if with limitations or, let's say, a monthly fee. Or even an internal nintendo eshop, hosted by Nvidia servers, where publishers can sell their most heavy games and Nintendo still gets part of the income. I use Geforce Now on my PC as I got a Beta access and it works actually really great with my internet connection that runs at about 400Gbps. I also think Google Stadia is going to be a service I'll totally use because I've no intention in buying a powerful PC. Nintendo is already doing streaming in Japan on switch, so why not partner with Nvidia and get the most out of it as that service is already established?

@Moroboshi876 I'd love to see some data on this. I would be shocked if even 1/4 of the general public had smart TVs. I don't know anyone off the top of my head who has one. None of my friends or family. And we're all lower to upper middle class. But obviously that is a small sample size.

@frabbit @antdickens Maybe because the article justifies there actions by saying 'but also allowed other owners to play around with the system in creative ways at their own risk'.
When really people are often looking to promote themselves in the illegal hacking world.

@Heavyarms55 It's certainly puzzling. Maybe it's something that varies from country to country. But really, where do people connect their Switch if they are still with CRT screens?

@Heavyarms55 I don't know, pretty much all TV's available to buy are smart TV's and have been for quite a few years. I think the last TV I bought which didn't have it was about 15 years ago. I agree most don't change their sets very often but many of those early HD TV's would have been replaced by now and it would have been very unlikely to buy a new one without such functions. Even without that many will have some form of cable provider where these apps are available or at least a mobile phone. You don't know anybody with one and I genuinely don't know anybody who doesn't have one, even older relatives who wouldn't really care for such things have one just because it's part of the TV already.

I agree with @Moroboshi876 anyone who is bothered about the likes of Netflix will already have multiple ways to watch it, I barely watch any sort of programming these days but a quick count suggests I have about 10 ways in which to do so.

@DenDen What makes it illegal?

As far as I know Android is opensource and free to install on any device you want.
The word "ROM" (read only memory) is in my understanding incorrectly used in this article.
However, downloading a "ROM" is not always illegal, it depends on the ROM.

If I make a homebrew game in .NDS format using free opensource software.
Then it's legal for me to distribute this ROM to anyone I want. Unless any of the developement tools license agreements prohibits it.

@Moroboshi876 I like to download shows onto my Tablet and watch them offline, great for flights and holidays. Think the Switch would be a perfect fit for that, don't need wifi just download to your Micro SD and off you go. Happy days

Just give us NETFLIX

Hm... there's an Android version of AM2R...😃

Safer to just nab a Nvidia Shield TV unit. Picked mine up on Amazon for less than 150 and it runs a load of emulators and such incredibly well. There's also a pairing option to use any bluetooth pad ya want (as a developer, it's not complex to tell it you're one).

@Zuljaras I believe distribution of food are illegal in general.

Thank goodness, I was desperate for SOME device to run Android on. I'm definitely not using one to type this comment either.

@frabbit @antdickens but what community man? There is a difference between reporting a bank robbery and stating 'now you can (illegally) rob a bank.' If you want to see how to do it, click the link.

I'm not against these articles per se, just the tone sometimes.

Nintendo should know from looking around the homebrew scene that themes and folders are some of the highly requested features but would rather stamp out the homebrew scene and not implement those 2 features.

@antdickens I take back my objection then 😁

@antdickens Yeah, I understand where you are coming from. It's certainly interesting what they can do.(other than the only difference between stealing a handbag and copying a game is an individual isn't inconvenienced. Doesn't make it any less shady.)

People are always so negative about hacking related news.
That hacking = evil mindset seems a bit narrowminded to me.

I don't condone hacking when it's goal is to enable piracy or to cheat in online games but when it allows me to use a device in new ways and do things I was never meant to I find it fascinating.

@GrailUK Fair enough it's not a perfect analogy haha. But still, if you read an article about a bank robbery and it was just a headline that said "Person Robs Bank" you'd be asking where the journalism was in that. Similarly, if this article just said "Android on Switch" with a video of someone running it then the lack of detail/background would be questioned for sure.

I take your point about the tone if that's how you've read it.

@antdickens I'm interested as to when we're getting Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess!

@dew12333 Well it does allow for those things, at one's own risk. I don't see the fault in saying that. As I said above, if you read the tone of the article differently to me then fair enough.

@YessMasster No but if they didn't say how it was done then it's a non-story. I see someone do something interesting, I want to know how they did it. Doesn't mean I'm gonna go and do it. Again, as per my comments above, if your issue is with your interpretation of the tone of the article then I can't argue with that.

@KennyBania Wouldn't know enough about the forums to comment on that. Other than that comment there saying I don't know enough about the forums to comment. And this last bit.

@wariosmith I heavily suspect Nintendo is purposely limiting streaming apps to one release per year in order to preserve Switch as a dedicated gaming machine. The first one (Hulu), launched in November 2017, YouTube then launched on the exact same date a year later. With that said, I wouldn't expect Prime Video until November at the earliest. And even then, there's still Netflix and other providers I'm sure are competing for that spot as well.

@wariosmith The Switches cpu can't handle streaming.

@thatawesomedude I suspect if the Switch allows streaming apps, its power will half.

A surprisingly nuanced conversation about piracy.

@antdickens Saw this the other day on the twitters. Thought maybe you guys decided to skip this one in fear of the backlash. (Haven't seen you close comments since TW left). Glad to see you covering it, even if you might have to ban a few people like that utter bozo the other day.

Don't think I'll be doing this, but maybe if it gets enough exposure we'll get legit NF on Switch. It's where we watch all of our stuff on Hulu.

Also, you covered it, but you didn't proof read it. The very first word is wrong. The very first 1. Unless that's a Brit slang thing, but I'm 99% certain it should be "On", not "One". Where's my boy @ryancraddock at, he usually puts in an appearance.

@Moroboshi876 Well, I'd love to use my Switch to watch Netflix when I take lunch from work. It's the perfect device to do so (and there's free wifi where I go). Not saying it's the most important, but my only Netflix devices are my computer, my PS4 (which that TV is usually taken) and my phone (yes no SmartTV). So having Netflix on the other TV in my house would be nice too. Of course, I could get a firestick or something, but it's not that important to me, just another nice to have.

EDIT: Also my other TV is out of Wifi range, but I have an ethernet port for my Switch, so I'd probably need a repeater or something to use a firestick.

@Heavyarms55 @carlos82 @Moroboshi876

We're middle class in New York, have 3 flatscreen HD tvs - 32" in my son's room, 39" in our bedroom, 52" in our living room. None of them are smart. What some people dont' seem to realize - not implying any of you guys - are smart tvs are usually pretty dumb when it comes to upgrades, and you're usually better off with another device, Roku, Fire, Chrome, console. We watch Hulu on Switch (wired). We'd watch NF and Prime on Switch if we could, but usually on PS4 (wired). We watch CW on Fire b/c it's a hard app to find (wireless). Admittedly our next TV will probably be smart b/c it's hard to find any the past few years w/o being smart, but I'd say that's only the past 3-5 years, certainly not 10 or 15. But judging by how those apps get reviewed we'll probably stick w/ other ways to stream.

@ryancraddock You're like the only guy here w/ a sense of humour, everybody else is so bloody serious all the time.

@liveswired It already has two.

@rjejr oh ok, I only said 15 years ago as that TV lasted me so long. I currently have 2 TV's both of which are smart and my main one is the Samsung KS7000 which has served me very well and generally use that for my apps such as YouTube and Amazon as its great quality and as good if not better than my external devices, though that did cost me a few quid and the other is pretty useless for them. I'd definitely avoid cheaper sets for 4K HDR as I had to replace my first one despite it being about £700 at the time and get my current one for around double the cost as it was next to useless for gaming.

welp it already looks like a tablet so why not have the screen to become one and use it as a tablet.
Now lets play Fire Emblem Heroes on my switch

This article infricts the law of incentive to piracy, so I hope nintendolife is at least aware they are risking your necks.

Me and my friend 'Big eyed Bill' caught a kid hacking a Switch over the park the other day, we chopped his hands off and then sold them back to him, only one of the hands we gave back to him was actually a flesh coloured joycon. he re-attached it but got the deadly 'drift' and he now wonders aimlessly across roads in the dark.

@carlos82 Yeah as I said my next tv will likely be smart as I want 65" and it's hard to get that w/o the smart part. And as you said it's also hard finding a "good" tv that's less expensive. Took me awhile just to learn all the different forms of HDR. HDR should be HDR, but I guess HD should be HD too but it can mean 720p or 1080i or 1080p so caveat emptor.

PS5 will probably be my reason for a 4k tv. I bought my 52" 1080p for my PS3. Man, did Wii games look horrible on that after my 36" standard set that weighed 250 lbs.

But no matter how good of a smart tv I get unless it has an Ethernet jack I'll still use other devices for streaming b/c my WiFi in that room is less than optimal.

Meh not that interesting to me, if I want to play Android stuff on a console I already had the hundreds of Chinese devices in my basement not to mention the Ouya, GPD Win, and the Nvidia Shield itself.

@graysoncharles Spread how do in the media is enough to fit in the crime and get condenation. This article fill the requisits.

@frabbit

I don't have any real complaint about the articles, I just see it that they have more of an interest in this side of things.
But other people don't feel the same about this kind of subject and for fair reason in my opinion, and I also don't see a problem if they want to make a fair comment that they disagree.
It would just be nice if people could think different things without moaning and arguing about it.

@Moroboshi876 I’m definitely nowhere near the smart tv stage and don’t care to be. That said, I don’t care for Netflix on my Switch either. I’d love it if it was solely dedicated to gaming.

To begin with the narrator is difficult to understand at times and lord, clean that screen. Also does the irony escape these folks that the are excited to run an emulator on a "modded" (not hacked) Switch?

Well if you bought the piece of hardware, shouldn't you be allowed to run an alternative OS on it if so desired?

ROM hacking has kept N64 games like Goldeneye, F-Zero X and Mario 64 fresh and alive with added content and improved visuals. Thank God for that, because last thing Nintendo did with their N64 legacy was some lousy, overpriced emulation on Wii U.

And may I remind you that Nintendo lobbied to abolish video game rentals.
Not sure what's worse; big companies bullying consumers into squeezing them for money or consumers mindlessly agreeing.

I'd love to be game enough to do this to my switch so that I can run snes and n64 emulators, since Nintendo has denied me the ability to pay for virtual console for two and a half years...

@rjejr Fair point. My family and I only upgrade TVs when they break or get very old. We had the same TV in my living room growing up for over a decade before it got faulty. The last one I replaced was about as old - having been one of the early flat screen HD TVs from like 2006.

Lol why are people all up in arms about modding a switch to run android? It's not even pirating switch games???

@Ham-n-jam Because this is a Nintendo fan site and some Nintendo fans only believe what Nintendo tells them. some people still believe that you cant play GameCube games on a Wii U. On topic, this is a great thing! Some people just want one box to do it all and having Android on Switch gives that option. Personally I'm going to wait for a "one card" solution before I try this. I don't want to have to switch cards every time I want to change the OS.

@Heavyarms55 My father was a tv repariman growing up. We had old tvs in every room of the house but I don't recall upgrading them all that often either. They've had two 40" HD tvs for awhile now, so they do last.

@rjejr Oh yeah, we had a 25 year old 10 inch TV sitting in the corner of the dining room that we watched the news on every day for years. We only got rid of it when they had the switch to digital only signals in America.

I remember playing NES on it when we didn't have any AV cables for the NES and it was the only TV left with that older screw like connection - blanking on what that was called...

@Heavyarms55 We should make that an NL posting gatekeeper -

You can only post comments on NL if you've used one of these to game in your life.

Yeah, I don't know what the heck it's called either but we all needed one like it or similar to game back then.

It's also possible my kids TV has one on it at the moment for my old Atari 7800.

@rjejr Ah yeah, these things. There's some... I wouldn't call it nostalgia really, but I remember using them.

Android - the operating system in a constant beta stage!
It's good for everything, it's not the best for anything!

I admit, things have vastly improved starting from 8 on high-end phones - but it's still a hard pass for me.

I'd tried multiple Android-based consoles in the past and I had a truly awful experience with the majority of them.
Why would anybody want to have a buggy, frustrating OS instead of a stable, working one, is beyond me.

@rjejr An RF modulator