If you’re an Arch Linux user and love tinkering with your setup, this guide will show you how to run Android TV natively on your system using Waydroid.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a fully functional Android TV interface based on LineageOS 20 (Android 13), complete with Google Play Store, hardware acceleration, and streaming app support — all running smoothly inside Arch.
Waydroid runs Android inside a container (LXC) rather than an emulator, meaning you get native performance without the lag or bloat of traditional emulators.
1. 🌟 Introduction: What Is Waydroid and How It Works
Waydroid is an open-source project that allows you to run a full Android OS environment directly inside Linux using LXC containers.
Unlike emulators (which virtualize Android), Waydroid leverages your Linux kernel, GPU, and CPU directly — offering real hardware acceleration and better resource efficiency.
In this guide, we’ll pair Waydroid with a custom Android TV build based on LineageOS 20 (Android 13).
This build, created by developer SuperChicken, already includes:
- Google Play Store and Play Services
- Widevine L3 DRM for streaming
- VA-API hardware acceleration for Intel and AMD GPUs
Once done, you’ll have a fully working Android TV system right inside Arch Linux — no separate hardware needed.
2. ⚙️ System Requirements and Preparations
Before we start installing, let’s check the prerequisites.
Minimum Requirements
- Arch Linux or any Arch-based distro (Manjaro, EndeavourOS, Garuda, etc.)
- 64-bit CPU (Intel or AMD)
- 4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)
- 10 GB of free disk space
- Internet access
Update Your System
Always keep Arch updated before installing new packages:
sudo pacman -Syu
Once done, we can move on to installing Waydroid.
3. 🧩 Installing Waydroid on Arch Linux
Waydroid is available directly from the AUR (Arch User Repository), which means we can install it easily using a helper like yay or paru.
Step 1: Install an AUR Helper (if not already)
If you don’t have one, install yay:
sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si
Step 2: Install Waydroid from AUR
Once yay is ready:
yay -S waydroid
This will download and compile the latest Waydroid package for your system.
Step 3: Enable the Waydroid Container Service
After installation:
sudo systemctl enable waydroid-container
sudo systemctl start waydroid-container
Waydroid should now be up and running in the background.
Let’s move on to installing the Android TV image.
4. 📦 Downloading the Android TV Build (LineageOS 20)
We’ll use a community-built Android TV image maintained on GitHub.
👉 https://github.com/supechicken/waydroid-androidtv-build
What This Build Offers:
- Based on LineageOS 20 (Android 13)
- Pre-installed Google Play Store & Services
- Widevine L3 DRM support
- Optimized for VA-API acceleration on Intel/AMD GPUs
Step-by-Step Download:
- Visit the GitHub repository above.
- Go to the Releases section.
- Download the latest
.zipbuild forx86_64. - Extract the ZIP — you’ll find:
system.imgvendor.img
These are the two essential image files we’ll use to boot Android TV.
5. 🧠 Setting Up Android TV in Waydroid
Now let’s integrate the Android TV build with your Waydroid setup.
Step 1: Clean Up Old Waydroid Data
If you’ve already used Waydroid before, clean the environment:
sudo waydroid session stop
sudo rm -rf ~/.local/share/waydroid
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/waydroid/overlay*
Step 2: Copy Android TV Images
Move the extracted image files to the proper directory:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/waydroid-extra/images/
sudo cp ~/Downloads/system.img /etc/waydroid-extra/images/system.img
sudo cp ~/Downloads/vendor.img /etc/waydroid-extra/images/vendor.img
Step 3: Initialize the Android TV Environment
Reinitialize Waydroid with the new image files:
sudo waydroid init -f
Step 4: Start Waydroid
Now start the Waydroid session:
waydroid session start
Wait a minute or two for the first boot. You’ll soon see the Android TV interface appear on your desktop.
6. 🔐 Registering Android TV with Google
Because this Android TV build isn’t certified by Google, you’ll need to register its Android ID manually.
Without registration, Play Store login will fail.
Step 1: Get Your Android ID
Run the following command:
sudo waydroid shell -- sh -c "sqlite3 /data/data/*/*/gservices.db 'select * from main where name=\"android_id\";'"
This will output a long numeric ID. Copy it.
Step 2: Register on Google’s Website
- Open: https://www.google.com/android/uncertified
- Sign in with your Google account.
- Paste the Android ID and click Register.
- You’ll get a confirmation message.
Step 3: Restart the Container
Restart Waydroid to apply changes:
sudo systemctl restart waydroid-container
Now open the Play Store — you should be able to sign in successfully.
7. 📲 Installing Apps and Testing Performance
After signing in to Google Play, you can now install your favorite Android TV apps.
Recommended Apps:
- YouTube
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+ Hotstar
- MX Player
- Spotify
- Plex
- VLC
Just open Play Store → search → install.
If you prefer to stay anonymous, you can use Aurora Store instead:
waydroid app install ~/Downloads/AuroraStore*.apk
Aurora Store lets you download apps from Google Play without using a Google account.
Testing Performance
Try launching YouTube or Prime Video — playback should be smooth thanks to hardware acceleration (VA-API).
Even 1080p streaming works great on most systems.
8. 🧹 How to Uninstall Waydroid from Arch
If you decide to remove Waydroid later, follow these steps:
Step 1: Stop the Running Session
sudo waydroid session stop
Step 2: Remove Waydroid Package
yay -Rns waydroid
Step 3: Delete Residual Data
sudo rm -rf ~/.local/share/waydroid
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/waydroid
sudo rm -rf /etc/waydroid-extra
That’s it! You’ve completely removed Waydroid and all Android TV data from your system.
9. ❓ FAQs and Troubleshooting
Q1. My Waydroid session doesn’t start. What should I do?
Ensure the container service is active:
sudo systemctl start waydroid-container
Then try reinitializing with:
sudo waydroid init -f
Q2. Can I use NVIDIA GPU?
Waydroid supports VA-API acceleration, which mainly benefits Intel and AMD GPUs.
NVIDIA users may still run it, but video acceleration might be limited.
Q3. Is Waydroid safe to use?
Yes. It runs in an isolated container environment and doesn’t modify your Arch system files.
Q4. Can I install mobile (non-TV) apps?
Yes — though some may not display correctly on the Android TV layout, most apps still run fine.
Q5. How to reset Android TV completely?
Run:
sudo waydroid session stop
sudo rm -rf ~/.local/share/waydroid
sudo waydroid init -f
10. ⚠️ Disclaimer
This tutorial is meant for educational purposes only.
The Android TV image used here is a community build, not officially endorsed by Google or LineageOS.
Streaming content through DRM-protected services (Netflix, Prime Video, etc.) may be limited to 480p or 720p depending on Widevine certification.
Proceed responsibly and respect content providers’ terms of service.
🔗 Useful Links
- Official Waydroid Website: https://waydro.id/
- Android TV Build (GitHub): https://github.com/supechicken/waydroid-androidtv-build
#ArchLinux #Waydroid #AndroidTV #Linux #LineageOS #Android13 #GooglePlay #TechGuide #OpenSource #Manjaro
