Android apps, in their own Mac windows.
Features · Build · Runtime setup · Engineering notes · Contribute
GlidePod is an open-source Android environment for Apple Silicon Macs, built with Rust, GPUI and Cuttlefish ARM64 guests. Install an APK, open it in a separate macOS window, and manage its storage, permissions and runtime from one place.
Important
Developer preview. The management app and guest integration are implemented, but a runtime must be prepared separately. There is no ready-to-install, notarized release or bundled Android image yet. Broad game compatibility and production reliability remain unqualified.
| Area | Current implementation |
|---|---|
| Apps | APK install, update and removal; searchable catalog; APK file association; per-user Mac launcher bundles. |
| Windows | Independent Android displays and GPUI windows, with separate frame and input workers per app. |
| Input | Unicode text and clipboard, held keyboard events, touch/mouse modes, two-contact gestures and native GameController mapping. |
| Management | Developer VM start/stop and resources; app storage, cache/data cleanup and Android runtime permissions. |
| Desktop integration | Live Android widget panels and opt-in notification forwarding. Native WidgetKit support is still planned. |
| Graphics | Software baseline and an experimental gfxstream → MoltenVK → Metal path; dedicated GLES 3 and Vulkan correctness/performance fixtures. |
Real guest checks have exercised app lifecycle, independent displays/input, storage, permissions, GLES 3 and direct Vulkan. Physical keyboard/IME, mouse and controller behavior, current native notification interactions, Launchpad indexing and end-to-end presentation latency still need broader on-device validation. See the implementation records for the scope of each result.
Native management center preview
An actual capture of the early native GPUI management center, before a runtime was registered. The purple badge in the title bar belongs to the capture session. This is not a screenshot of Android apps running in separate windows. The separate interactive browser prototype is a simulated design reference.
The Android guest runs under an external Rust VMM using Apple's Hypervisor.framework. GlidePod owns the app catalog, lifecycle, per-app displays and macOS windows. Cuttlefish supplies the Android guest; its Linux host launcher is not the macOS runtime.
Android app
├─ OpenGL ES → guest ANGLE ─┐
└─ Vulkan ─────────────────┴─→ gfxstream → MoltenVK → Metal
│
frame readback
↓
per-app GPUI window
The current transport reads frames back to the host. Shared IOSurface presentation is planned. GPUI renders the Mac interface; the separate guest graphics stack accelerates Android. Automatic currently uses Software; Metal requires an explicitly registered, patched external renderer. See runtime setup and the graphics design.
Development currently requires Apple Silicon, Xcode 27, Rust and Python 3.12+. Validation has used macOS 27.0.1 and Rust 1.99.1. The configured macOS 15 deployment target and Rust 1.90 minimum still need separate validation.
git clone https://github.com/backrunner/glidepod.git
cd glidepod
python3 tools/prepare-android-tools.py
cargo fetch --locked --target aarch64-apple-darwin
python3 tools/license-inventory.py
python3 tools/package-dev.py
open dist/GlidePod.appThis produces a local, ad-hoc signed development app. It downloads compile tools into .cache/ and builds the original Android helpers; it does not install an Android system image. Follow the build guide for checks and prerequisites, then prepare the runtime to run APKs.
The management center can be explored without a guest. ⌘O opens an APK, ⌘F focuses search and ⌘R refreshes. The companion CLI is available at dist/GlidePod.app/Contents/MacOS/glidepodctl; use --help to see commands.
- A reproducible, redistributable runtime and a rootless Personal image.
- Async block I/O and better frame pacing, with persistence and scheduling tests.
- Lower-copy presentation and sustained GPU/game measurements.
- Broader physical input, accessibility and native notification validation.
- Native WidgetKit integration, signed/notarized downloads and a wider macOS test matrix.
Relative mouse capture, controller rumble and multiple players are also pending. Google Play services, DRM-dependent apps, anti-cheat compatibility and x86 Android translation are not provided. Advertised API versions and passing synthetic checks are not graphics conformance or game certification.
- Architecture and research — decisions, references and the interactive design prototype.
- Independent windows and input — display ownership, input routing and acceptance boundaries.
- GLES 3 and Vulkan — original workloads, renderer patch and measured limits.
- Frame pacing investigation — what the traces establish and what remains unresolved.
- Icon source — the editable layered package mark in Icon Composer.
- Contributing — build checks, evidence expectations and dependency policy.
Original GlidePod code, documentation and artwork are licensed under Apache-2.0. It permits use, modification and redistribution, including commercial use, and includes an express contributor patent grant under its terms.
Dependencies keep their own licenses. See NOTICE, third-party notices and the dependency inventory. External VMM/renderer binaries, Android images, SDK archives and third-party APKs are not included in this source repository. Binary distribution requires a separate component and notice review.
GlidePod is an independent project and is not affiliated with Apple, Google or the Android Open Source Project.