01 / Architecture
How DroidPier puts Android apps on a Linux desktop
DroidPier launches supported activities on virtual displays on the Android phone. It transports their video to Linux and sends keyboard and pointer input back to the device.
The Android application continues to execute on the phone, with its installed data and signed-in state. The Linux application supplies the desktop shell, app drawer, window controls, device connection, and input routing.
This architecture is useful when you want phone apps beside ordinary Linux applications without installing a second Android environment on the computer. The phone remains part of the session, so disconnecting it ends the Android workspace.
Separate windows instead of one full phone screen
Traditional mirroring presents the phone display as one computer window. DroidPier is designed around individual Android app windows. Supported apps can be opened, moved, resized, minimized, maximized, and closed from the Linux workspace.
02 / Setup
Connect over USB first, then add Wi-Fi if needed
- Install the DroidPier package for your Linux distribution and open the application.
- Enable Android developer options and USB debugging. Connect a data cable, unlock the phone, and approve the trusted computer.
- Select the phone in DroidPier. The desktop uses its bundled companion, shell agent, ADB, scrcpy, and decoder.
- Open an app from the DroidPier app drawer and arrange its window.
Android 11 and newer versions can also use wireless debugging on a trusted local network. DroidPier supports nearby discovery, a locally generated QR pairing session, and manual pairing. Pairing and connection ports are different, and isolated Wi-Fi networks may block discovery.
03 / Options
DroidPier, screen mirroring, and Android emulation solve different problems
Choose based on where you want Android to run and how you want its apps to appear.
DroidPier builds on ADB and scrcpy components but adds a guided workspace, app discovery, companion integration, connection management, and multi-window orchestration. It does not replace every scrcpy feature and currently does not forward audio.
04 / Compatibility
What you need
- A Linux x86-64 computer using a compatible Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Fedora, or other desktop environment.
- An Android phone that permits USB debugging and the virtual-display behavior required by the apps you want to open.
- A USB data cable for the most reliable first connection, or Android wireless debugging on a trusted network.
- Permission to install the signed DroidPier Companion APK from the published GitHub release.
The companion keeps an Android 8 installation minimum, but that does not mean every Android 8 phone or manufacturer build has full desktop compatibility. Check the tested-device notes before relying on DroidPier for important work.
05 / Limits
Know what the beta does not promise
Desktop audio forwarding is unavailable. Apps that block capture, DRM playback, secondary displays, or injected input may not work. Frame rate varies with the phone, app, cable or network, encoder, decoder, and Linux graphics stack.
DroidPier is currently a Linux and Android beta. Windows and macOS are in development. It requires no account, advertising, analytics, or cloud relay, but optional clipboard and notification features can expose that content to the connected computer when enabled.
Start testing
Download the Linux beta and connect one phone
Use the package built for your distribution and read the release notes before installation.