• 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
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
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
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A farmer in a field plowing with a horse
Economydisruption
BofA throws cold water on AI apocalypse panic: 60% of today’s jobs didn’t exist in 1940
By Nick LichtenbergMay 4, 2026
3 hours ago
doctor
AITech
A Harvard study just found AI can now out-diagnose physicians in the ER: ‘We’re already at the ceiling’
By Jake AngeloMay 4, 2026
4 hours ago
dario
AIAnthropic
Anthropic takes shot at consulting industry in joint venture with Wall Street giants
By Nick LichtenbergMay 4, 2026
5 hours ago
Frustrated job seeker on laptop
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
Nearly 4 in 10 job candidates have bailed on a hiring round because it required an AI interview
By Emma BurleighMay 4, 2026
7 hours ago
VC firm Ethereal has avoided the spotlight for 5 years—now it’s telling its story
NewslettersTerm Sheet
VC firm Ethereal has avoided the spotlight for 5 years—now it’s telling its story
By Jeff John RobertsMay 4, 2026
9 hours ago
The eBay logo with a mobile phone in 2025. (Photo: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
GameStop makes an unsolicited $56 billion offer for eBay
By Andrew NuscaMay 4, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
Economy
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
By Jason MaMay 3, 2026
23 hours ago
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
3 days ago
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
Economy
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
Commentary
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
By Blake O'ShaughnessyMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
AI
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
By Sasha RogelbergMay 3, 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.