Can Android Run On iPhone? Tendigi Says Yes, 3D Printed Case Runs Marshmallow On Apple Hardware

Using 3D printed case and a clone of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), Tendigi developer Nick Lee is able to run customized Android Marshmallow on an iPhone 6S. With the help of a Tendigi app for iOS, Nick Lee is able to boot and load the customized Android Marshmallow and run it on Apple hardware.

On the Tendigi blog, Nick Lee says that his motivation for bringing the Android Marshmallow to iPhone is to outdo his previous efforts of marrying non-iOS operating systems and the Apple hardware. A previous success involved running Windows 95 on an Apple Watch.

Citing The Verge, Nick Lee took more than a few days to be able to run Android Marshmallow in the iPhone 6S. Even then, Nick Lee required the 3D printed case to be able to make the Android Marshmallow run on his iPhone 6S.

A first trial gave Nick Lee a case that resembled early versions of mobile phones in terms of thickness. A second attempt gave Nick Lee a much slimmer case for his iPhone hack.

Once Nick Lee was able to customize Android Marshmallow from the clone of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on a self-bought board, the Tendigi developer loaded the board onto the special 3D printed case. The 3D printed enclosure also housed a battery and boost converter.

A resistor was also bundled with the 3D printed case. Nick Lee made sure the 3D printed case featured HDMI and USB port openings and an opening for the SD card slot. The Verge observes that Nick Lee covers the combo with a plastic sheet before adding the iPhone on top.

For the customized Android Marshmallow to actually run on the iPhone 6S, Nick Lee needed to use a customized Tendigi app. The Tendigi app communicates with the case from the iOS and loads the customized Android Marshmallow onto the iPhone screen.

Nick Lee provided in his Tendigi article the step-by-step used to make the customized Android Marshmallow run on Apple hardware. Included in the outline are the necessary testing and preparation for his Android, iPhone hack.