Developers have always tried their best to circumvent Apple’s closed ecosystem and run Android on it. But most regular users have shied away from trying such a complex process as it carries a huge risk of ruining the device.
However, this new software tool from a cybersecurity firm called Corellium promises an easier way for Android to run on iPhone using a clever hack called Project Sandcastle.
Apple has rigid guidelines for apps to run on iOS, which is why it’s a big feat that the company has managed to run Android on iPhone successfully. So how can you try using Android and its apps on an iPhone? Follow these steps to make it work.
How Does Project Sandcastle Work?
To make this happen, users need to install a tool called Checkra1n which is used for jail breaking the iPhone and has been developed by the iOS community for this purpose. This can be downloaded off the Internet.
Now connect the iPhone to a computer via the lightening cable which will allow you to download the jail-breaking tool, which only works on macOS and Linux for now. So make sure you don’t try this step on a Windows device.
This tool was exclusively used by Forbes who’ve mentioned the process via this report. They met David Wang, Co-Founder, Corellium who helped the publication with a quick access to its intriguing product experiment.
Wang and Co. want to show everyone how Apple’s walled garden around iPhone can be deconstructed to allow other platforms to run on its device.
You can only use this hack for limited iPhone versions 7, 7 Plus and iPod Touch for now, with support for other models coming soon. So if you’re keen to get your hands dirty and mess around with software running on iPhone, Corellium is offering the support via its website ProjectSandcastle.org where you’ll get the instructions to execute the hack.
Corellium confirms the jail break tool won’t work on iPhone X or later versions.
Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
To successfully run Android on iPhone, Wang and team had to put all their technical expertise to work, allowing them to find the right match for Android to work over an iOS-based device. Having said that, jail breaking does ease the load on the developers, even though it makes the device and apps running on it less secure.
After much deliberation, Wang and his team got Android 10 running on an iPhone 7, but there was a catch. This device won’t let you use the camera or download apps from the Google Play Store, which is what one usually does on a regular Android device.
The catch is that one can only side-load third-party apps to the iPhone.
For Wang this was a case of history repeating itself. Back in the day, he had managed to run Android on an iPhone 3G, and turns out Apple has filed a copyright infringement against his company for replicating iOS through various developer tools.
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