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The first Android ROM for the Switch is here

Philipp Rüegg
29.7.2019
Translation: machine translated

If you want more flexibility from your Nintendo Switch, you can now install Android on it - regardless of the existing system. Unfortunately, the ROM does not work with newer Switch versions.

If the selection of games on the Switch isn't enough for you, you'll be pleased to hear that you can now install an Android on it. The development team switchroot has ported LineageOS 15.1, which is based on Android 8.1, to the Switch. The whole thing runs on an SD card and is therefore separate from the actual Switch system. You can easily switch back and forth between the systems.

Android then runs in full functionality in both handheld and docked mode. For example, you can load an emulator from the Google Play Store and play a few SNES games on your Switch. There is even an optional Shield-ifier mode that turns the Switch into an Nvidia Shield TV, which in turn allows you to stream PC games via Nvidia Gamestream.

The ROM is currently still struggling with a few bugs. For example, certain apps do not recognise the Joy-Cons, the screen does not always rotate automatically and sometimes the touchscreen does not respond correctly. Battery life is also not expected to improve with LineageOS. If none of this puts you off, then have fun trying it out.

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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles. 

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