• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

You Can Run Android On Your iPhone—Kinda

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 8, 2016, 12:00 PM ET
Android Running On An iPhone
TenDigi

If you ever wanted to run Google’s Android platform on your iPhone, there’s a way. Kinda.

Nick Lee, partner and chief technology officer at Tendigi, a mobile design and engineering company, has developed a way to get Google’s (GOOGL) operating system running on Apple’s (AAPL) hardware. And it’s about as hard to achieve as you might think.

In a lengthy blog post, Lee outlined how he and his team were able to get Android running on the iPhone. The team relied heavily upon Android’s open-source backbone, allowing it to fiddle with the operating system, as well as a wide range of tools and services, that helped it create the experience.

On the hardware size, Lee and his team used an extremely small computer board that runs an octa-core ARM (ARMH) Cortex processor. On that computer-on-a-chip, Lee loaded a customized version of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. He then placed his tiny Android-based computer into an iPhone case and attached both a battery and a Lightning cable that would allow that computer to connect to Apple’s smartphone.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

From there, it was (somewhat) easy. Lee built a custom Tendigi app that could work with the custom computer he had just built, booted it up, and connected the board to the Lightning port in the iPhone. The custom Tendigi app automatically recognized the connection and he was able to run Android from within the app.

In a video, Lee is shown opening the Tendigi app and doing everything from flipping around apps to opening programs within Android. And he’s doing it all on the iPhone.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ivaxlbpmw&w=560&h=315]

Tendigi’s “hack” is notable in light of Apple’s unflinching desire to keep its iPhones closed down to other operating systems. Indeed, the company has only offered iOS on its products and has never shown signs of letting up. Android-based devices, however, are most likely to run Google’s Android OS, but might also run third-party options.

Tendigi, which was previously able to get Windows running on an Apple Watch, has found a workaround to Apple’s constraints without forcing users to jailbreak their iPhones.

That said, there are some limitations to Tendigi’s creation. In reality, Android isn’t technically running on the iPhone. Instead, Android is running on a separate chip that sits behind the iPhone. Apple’s operating system is simply running an app that’s capable of displaying and running Android by connecting to the accessory.

For more on iPhone and Android, watch:

Still, running Android on an iPhone has long been something that some Apple customers have wanted. And now, Tendigi has shown it’s possible. So if you have the know-how and want to give it a go, see if you, too, can get Google’s operating system running on your iPhone.

“Finally, Android on the iPhone. You heard me,” Lee said in a blog post. “The holy war is over, brethren.”

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

dave ricks
AIScience
Tech giants see a cure for cancer in AI. But Eli Lilly’s CEO finds it ‘not particularly good’ at solving biology or chemistry problems
By Jake AngeloMarch 2, 2026
7 minutes ago
Photo of a young man holding a smartphone having his face scanned
LawSocial Media
Social media companies are fighting the ‘age verification trap’ as collecting biometrics on kids violates privacy rights
By Catherina GioinoMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
AIOpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defends decision to strike Pentagon deal after Anthropic blacklisting, admits ‘optics don’t look good’
By Jeremy KahnMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
greenspan
EconomyFederal Reserve
’90s nostalgia seizes the Fed and White House as Warsh and Trump see AI as an internet-style productivity boom
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
5 hours ago
washington
LawWashington
Washington roasted for using AI feature with heavily accented English instead of actual Spanish on state helpline
By Cedar Attanasio and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
6 hours ago
Europedigital transformation
Why Europe can lead in trusted, industrialized AI
By Dave McCannMarch 2, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott's close relationship with Toni Morrison long before Amazon put Scott on the path to give more than $1 billion to HBCUs
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
As Iran attacks Dubai, the tax-free haven for the global elite could see 'catastrophic' fallout — 'this can also send shockwaves globally'
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply
By Jake AngeloMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.