Manifest compatibility
As you prepare your Android app to run on Chromebooks, you should consider the device features that your app uses. Chromebooks don’t support all of the hardware and software features that are available on other devices running Android. If your app requires specific features that aren’t supported on Chromebooks, it won’t be available for installation on Chromebooks.
You declare your app’s requirements for hardware features and certain software features in the manifest file. This document describes the app manifest feature declarations that aren’t compatible with Chromebooks.
Incompatible manifest entries
The manifest entries listed in this section aren’t currently compatible with Chromebooks. If your app uses any of these entries, consider removing them or including the required="false" attribute value with them so that your app can be installed on Chromebooks. For more information about declaring feature use without requiring that the feature be available on the device, see the guide for the <uses-feature> manifest element. For a complete list of app manifest features and descriptions, see the Features reference.
Hardware features
Support for hardware features varies on Chromebooks. Some features aren’t supported on any Chromebooks while others are supported on some Chromebooks.
Special features
The following list includes features that were implemented to better support Chromebook hardware. In addition to viewing this list, we recommend reviewing the Input compatibility page for more in-depth information manifest changes and other related concerns.
android.hardware.type.pc- This disables the input emulation and allows you to develop custom behavior for mouse and touchpad.
Unsupported hardware features
The following list includes the hardware features that aren’t currently supported on Chromebooks:
android.hardware.camera– Back-facing cameraandroid.hardware.camera.autofocus– Camera that uses autofocusandroid.hardware.camera.capability.manual_post_processing– Camera that uses theMANUAL_POST_PROCESSINGfeature, including functionality for overriding auto white balanceandroid.hardware.camera.capability.manual_sensor– Camera that uses theMANUAL_SENSORfeature, including auto-exposure locking supportandroid.hardware.camera.capability.raw– Camera that uses theRAWfeature, including the ability to save DNG (raw) files and provide DNG-related metadataandroid.hardware.camera.flash– Camera that uses flashandroid.hardware.camera.level.full– Camera that usesFULL-level image-capturing supportandroid.hardware.consumerir– Infrared (IR)android.hardware.location.gps– GPSandroid.hardware.nfc– Near-Field Communication (NFC)android.hardware.nfc.hce– NFC card emulation (deprecated)android.hardware.sensor.barometer– Barometer (air pressure)android.hardware.telephony– Telephony, including radio with data communication servicesandroid.hardware.telephony.cdma– Telephony Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network supportandroid.hardware.telephony.gsm– Telephony Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network supportandroid.hardware.type.automotive– Android Auto user interfaceandroid.hardware.type.television– Television (deprecated)android.hardware.usb.accessory– USB accessory modeandroid.hardware.usb.host– USB host mode
Partially-supported hardware features
The following list includes the hardware features that may be available on some Chromebooks:
android.hardware.sensor.accelerometer– Accelerometer (device orientation)android.hardware.sensor.compass– Compassandroid.hardware.sensor.gyroscope– Gyroscope (device rotation and twist)android.hardware.sensor.light– Lightandroid.hardware.sensor.proximity– Proximity (to user)android.hardware.sensor.stepcounter– Step counterandroid.hardware.sensor.stepdetector– Step detector
Touchscreen hardware support
As of ChromeOS version M53, all Android apps that don’t explicitly require the android.hardware.touchscreen feature will also work on ChromeOS devices that support the android.hardware.faketouch feature. Devices that have fake touch interfaces provide a user input system that emulates basic touch events. For example, the user could interact with a mouse or remote control to move an on-screen cursor, scroll through a list, and drag elements from one part of the screen to another.
If you don’t want your app to be installed on devices that have fake touch interfaces but not touchscreens, you can complete one of the following actions:
- Exclude specific devices in the Google Play Console.
- Filter devices with no touchscreen hardware by explicitly declaring
android.hardware.touchscreen as being required in order to install your app.
Software features
The following list includes the software features that aren’t currently supported on Chromebooks:
android.software.app_widgets– App Widgets on the Home screenandroid.software.device_admin– Device policy administrationandroid.software.home_screen– Replaces device’s Home screenandroid.software.input_methods– Custom input methods (instances ofInputMethodService)android.software.leanback– UI designed for large-screen viewingandroid.software.live_wallpaper– Animated wallpapersandroid.software.live_tv– Streaming live TV programsandroid.software.managed_users– Secondary users and managed profilesandroid.software.midi– Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) protocol, which supports connecting to musical instruments and providing soundandroid.software.sip– Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) service, which supports video conferencing and instant messagingandroid.software.sip.voip– Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service based on SIP, which supports two-way video conferencing
Permissions that imply feature requirements
Some permissions that you request in your manifest files can create implied requests for hardware and software features. By requesting these permissions, you’ll prevent your app from being installed on Chromebooks.
For details about how to prevent permission requests from making your app unavailable on Chromebooks, see the Incompatible manifest entries section of this page.
The following table shows the permissions that imply certain feature requirements which make an app incompatible with Chromebooks:
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