How to Use Bluestacks to Run Android Apps on a Surface Pro

Tired of the limited nature of the Windows App Store? Have no fear! Your Surface Pro is a great piece of tablet hardware that can also handle most, if not all, of the Android apps that come from the Google Play marketplace. The trick is to use a program called BlueStacks to run the Android apps on your Surface Pro device. The tips below will explain precisely how to do so.
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Step 1: Start by going to the BlueStacks website. The program can be found here and can be used on Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8, or with Mac OS X. In other words, it should work on just about any desktop computer you have, as well as on your Surface Pro. For the uninitiated, BlueStacks is a software emulator that can be used to run Android apps on non-Android devices.

Step 2: On the Bluestacks page from your Microsoft Surface Pro browser, select “Download App Player” for Windows. A bar will pop up at the bottom of your screen allowing you to select “Run,” which will download the program and then greet you with install menus for BlueStacks. Click through the menus to approve and launch the installation.

Step 3: Once it is finished installing, BlueStacks will launch. You will be greeted by a page full of app icons from the Google Play store. You will have to login to your Google Play account to download any of them, but doing so will also allow you to access any apps you have previously bought from Google Play. This is particularly convenient if you are making the jump to the Surface Pro after using an Android tablet or smartphone.

Step 4: Begin downloading Android applications, and play them via the BlueStacks GamePop emulator! Enjoy!

Recap

The limited application support for the Microsoft Surface Pro may be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be detrimental. On the contrary, with the BlueStacks emulator, you might not even realize the difference between your Android and Windows tablets!