Android emulator servers: connect and run your first emulator

A HyperDC Android GPU server is a Windows or Linux server prepared for Android emulators such as BlueStacks, LDPlayer, NoxPlayer and MEmu. Your apps run in the emulator around the clock, and you reach them from any computer instead of keeping phones or a desktop PC switched on. This guide gets you from the welcome email to a running emulator.

Before you start

• The connection details from your welcome email.
• On Windows servers: a Remote Desktop client; see first steps on a Windows server.
• On Linux servers: SSH; see Android Emulator on a Linux server.
• The list of apps you want to run and how many instances you need.

Step 1: Connect to the server

• Windows: connect with Remote Desktop using the address and the account from the welcome email, then change the password.
• Linux: connect over SSH; see Android Emulator on a Linux server for the headless setup and for viewing the screen from your computer.

Step 2: Start the emulator

If you named your emulator when you ordered, it is prepared on the server: start it from the desktop or the Start menu. To install a different emulator, download it only from the maker's official website and run the installer:

Emulators need hardware virtualization, which the server provides. BlueStacks notes that recent versions run whether Hyper-V is turned on or off, and that its website installs the matching build automatically.

Verify: the emulator starts to the Android home screen.

Step 3: Set CPU, memory and display

In the emulator's settings, give each instance enough, but not more than the server has:

• CPU cores and memory: start with the emulator's recommended values and raise them for heavy apps.
• Graphics renderer: emulators let you switch between rendering modes (for example DirectX and OpenGL); if an app shows graphics errors, try the other mode.
• Resolution and frame rate: lower values save resources when you run many instances.

Restart the instance after changing these settings.

Step 4: Install your apps

Sign in with a Google account in the Play Store inside the emulator, or install an APK file through the emulator's APK installer. Install apps only from sources you trust.

Step 5: Keep it running

• Disconnect, do not sign out. Close the Remote Desktop window to leave the emulator running; signing out closes it. See Remote Desktop users and sessions.
• Plan restarts. Windows updates can restart the server. Set updates to download only and install them in a maintenance window (fix Windows Update problems).
• Start after a restart: to have Windows sign in automatically and start the emulator, Microsoft's Sysinternals Autologon tool configures automatic sign-in (anyone who can restart the server then gets that session, so use a dedicated account), and the emulator's own setting or the Windows Startup folder starts it.

Troubleshooting

The emulator says virtualization is disabled or will not start. See Android emulator troubleshooting.

An app refuses to run in the emulator. Some apps detect emulators. Check the app's terms of service; there is no server-side setting that changes this.

Everything is slow with many instances. Each instance needs its own CPU and memory; see run many emulator instances.

Next steps

• Several apps or accounts at once: run many emulator instances.
• Problems: Android emulator troubleshooting.