BlueStacks touches 1bn downloads, latest beta version now works on ARM PCs

BlueStacks happens to be one of the oldest and mature Android app emulation software for Windows and macOS, and the company recently announced that they had reached 1 billion downloads and that they were working towards the next major update to the software.

BlueStacks has been around for years now and has added several features with each new version release. The company behind the emulator is currently working on updating its software to the next major version, with several performance improvements. However, the biggest change from version 4 to version 5 will be the inclusion of support for ARM devices, so those running Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered laptops will also be able to make use of the Android emulator’s handy features.

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Since BlueStacks is an emulator, after all, it will still need to startup and that can take time especially on lower-end computers. The emulator will now feature faster boot times, quicker installations and faster launching of apps. The new beta will also include support for a new ‘Eco mode’ that allows for better multitasking by using fewer resources. The company says you should also be able to more instances of the software as a result.

The company also revealed that its users spend an average of five hours playing games on BlueStacks every day. These games, however, are designed to be run on mobiles and usually intended for quick play sessions, so to ensure that gamers can have sustained performance, they had to introduce two new features - FPS Lock and Long-flight, the company says.

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“Our app container technology enables games to be optimized to run on PC, Mac and other devices without any additional work needed from the developer. This is a key component missing in both Android on Chromebook and iOS apps on Mac. We see the market for BlueStacks App Player expanding considerably with Apple’s endorsement of running iOS apps on the Mac form factor, and App Containers is a key technology for this,” said Sharad Agarwal, Chief Architect for BlueStacks 5.