BlueStacks is perhaps the most popular softwares which allows users to run Android applications on their personal computers. Currently it is available for two operating systems: Microsoft Windows and AmericaApple’s anmacOS. Using android applications on a computer can be more useful than it seems. The ability to configure your personal computer seamlessly to emulate the Android platform and run Android applications is not only a convenience but it can be used to create a cloud-based cross-platform ecosystem of devices. But, all the functionality which BlueStacks brings along with itself is accompanied by user scepticism and it all boils down to one question- Is BlueStacks Safe?
In this article we would be addressing all the general concerns associated with BlueStacks and at the end of it, also teach you how to install BlueStacks on your PC. Read along to find out more.
Contents
Is Bluestacks For Mac Safe Mode
- 1 Is BlueStacks Really Safe?
- 2 Is BlueStacks Safe? – Conclusion
If there is a need for you to use Android applications like games on PCs or Macs, you might as well download and install BlueStacks for Windows 10, 8, 7 or Mac. And as mentioned above, BlueStacks is safe to use. For many users, it is deniable that Android applications are rather interesting and user-friendly than those on Desktops, Laptops,. To begin with, we’ll take a quick look at what Bluestacks is, what is the purpose of using Bluestacks, and how to use it on Windows and Mac PC. Then, we’ll move further to find an answer to the question- Is Bluestacks safe for my PC, and also to why it is considered as a possible threat.
Is BlueStacks Really Safe?
The following are the general concerns which people have regarding BlueStacks. We will take one concern at a time and try and clear all the doubts.
Concern #1. Why does BlueStacks prompt to disable Antivirus
So, no denying that the BlueStacks installer asks you to disable your Antivirus when you try to install the application on your system. But the reason for this is the over-protective nature of your security suite which often prevents the BlueStacks installation from completing successfully. Several third party security applications such as McAfee and Avast detects the main BlueStacks executable file as a threat. Which, trust me is nothing but a false positive.
Concern #2. Why does BlueStacks use so much CPU memory
People have often reported that BlueStacks software often hangs and crashes while they are using them. This leads to suspicion that is BlueStacks actually being used for crypto-mining or some other illegal activity as such. But the fact that you are trying to emulate the Android environment on a computer’s operating system will obviously lead to a higher memory requirement due to the fact that they have completely different architectures. Thus a crashing or hanging of the system is actually very normal.
Concern #3. Is BlueStacks Legal?
The final concern regarding BlueStacks due to its cross-platform nature is regarding its legality. This is because using other emulators such as Nintendo or Gameboy emulators is illegal. Such emulators actually include software copies of physical games inside the system hardware ROM in order to work. This is actually a form of piracy, and hence, illegal. However, this is not the case with BlueStacks. There are two major reasons for this. One, BlueStacks has a different environment to work with. And two, Android is completely open source. You might argue that Google apps are Google’s own property. But BlueStacks actually doesn’t violate any policies.
BlueStacks even comes pre-bundled with Google Play Store. This points to an agreement between the two parties such that BlueStacks platform will be treated as any other Android device without any discrimination whatsoever.
Is BlueStacks Safe? – Conclusion
So to sum it up, we can have a definitive conclusion that Yes, Bluestacks is completely Safe. No evidence has been found regarding BlueStacks’ association with of malware, spyware or crypto-mining. BlueStacks is 100% safe. All of its security certificates are legally signed and no other secondary applications are ever bundled with the software.
How to download, install and set-up BlueStacks?
- Ony any web browser of your choice such as Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox etc.
- Click on the Address bar and type “www.bluestacks.com” (without the quotes)
- Press the “Enter”.
- Select the Download BlueStacks button.
- You will now be will navigated to the download page, and your software will downloading.
- Once download begins, you will be prompted with two options: to save the .exe file in your Downloads folder or specify a custom location for the downloaded file to be saved.
- After the download is complete, click on the BlueStacks installer .exe file.
- Now click on “Install now” button to start the installation process.
- The set up will now start to download/extract the necessary files to be installed.
- The installation may take up to 5 minutes depending on your PC and memory available.
- After the first boot is complete, you will be asked to fill a Google Sign-in form in order to add your account or you may choose to add it later.
- If you choose to add the account, type in your email address synchronised with your Google account and click on next.
- Now enter your password and hit next once more. You are good to go now.
Bluestacks Big Sur
Final Take!
Is Bluestacks safe? Is Bluestacks legal? These are perhaps the first questions that come to mind when people are introduced to Bluestacks, which was the first Android emulator to be available on the internet. It wouldn’t be a surprise if such questions are raised. Of course, no one wants to use something illegal or something that could damage their computer. I will satisfy your curiosity about the safety and legality of Bluestacks with this article. Read on and find out the answer to your questions.
Contents
- 4 Is Bluestacks Safe?
- 5 Minimum System Requirements
- 5.1 FAQ
What is Bluestacks
Bluestacks is the most popular emulator and is also free to use. It has the ability to turn your Windows computer into an Android environment. It does this by simulating a complete Android phone on your computer. The emulator was first released in the year 2009 and ran on Android 2.3 Gingerbread but has come a far way from there.
Android emulators are software that is used to emulate the Android operating system on your computer. But you might be thinking, “Why do you need Android emulators when we already have Android phones?”
It comes into use when an Android app is not available for Windows or Mac. The best example is Snapchat messenger. Although there is an Android and iOS app for phones there is no official application to use Snapchat on a computer or Mac. You can now use Snapchat on your computer by using the Bluestacks app player.
If you’re an app developer, this software comes in handy on your workstation. Typical computers run on operating systems like Windows and Mac. By installing an Android emulator on your workstation, you don’t have to transfer your app to another device to test it.
If you’re a gamer, Android emulators like Bluestacks gives you a lot of benefits during gameplay. Aside from getting to play these games on a bigger screen, you can play without interruptions from other apps, and you don’t have to rely on limited battery power.
Bluestacks 4 is the latest version and remains to be the best emulators to date. There’s no reason for you to be afraid of the safety and legality of Bluestacks. I suggest you go to Bluestacks download and give it a try. You’ll surely enjoy all the Android apps right on your computer. Meanwhile, here are proofs of my claim that Bluestacks is safe and legal.
Is Bluestacks Legitimate?
BlueStacks is a legitimate software developed by a reputable company named BlueStacks Systems, Inc. The company’s investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, Citrix, Radar Partners, Ignition Partners, and AMD, among others. BlueStacks App Player currently has about 370 million users in 212 countries and territories across the globe, so, yes, it is legitimate.
Is Bluestacks Legal?
Now that we’ve established that BlueStacks is legitimate software, the next question that comes to mind is, “Is BlueStacks legal?”
Using BlueStacks is perfectly legal because it only emulates the Android operating system, which is an open-source operating system. When a software tries to emulate the hardware of a physical device, this is where the use of the emulator becomes illegal.
Some examples of illegal emulators are the Nintendo and Gameboy emulators because they need copies of physical game system hardware ROMs (which are usually pirated copies).
BlueStacks also does not alter or modify your gameplay, unlike cheat and hack engines coming from shady sources. Hence, Bluestacks is legal.
Is Bluestacks Safe?
Bluestacks has a large list of investors and it includes big names like Samsung, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and IGG. So you can be sure that you are getting the best security that is out there. And since the reputation of investors is also dependent on what they invest in, they take special care that no security breach ever arises. You can see the full list of investors here.
As for the security aspect, some users did report that their antivirus programs flagged the Bluestacks app player. And showed a warning saying that it contains a trojan. However, this was a very old version. And while I was using it, Kaspersky did not show me any kind of warning even after scanning it. As far as malware is concerned, you can be sure that there isn’t any.
You might ask that if there is no malware then why does Bluestacks consume data in the background. The answer is in Bluestacks. Anonymous data statistics are automatically sent to their servers to improve Bluestacks. It does not contain any personal information. And if you still feel that it is not secure and is invading your privacy, you can turn this feature off in the settings.
There is one thing that might worry some users. Since many game makers have also sponsored Bluestacks. After the initial trial period, you are forced to download one sponsored app every day.
You can either download a sponsored app or you can purchase the premium version of Bluestacks for 2$ per month. Although you might want to criticize Bluestacks for this, they have to do something to earn revenue to keep Bluestacks going.
Given all this information about Bluestacks, there’s no reason to say that it is not safe, so yes, Bluestacks is safe.
Is BlueStacks Safe: Something You Should Remember
When you start Bluestacks for the first time, it asks you to sign in to your Google account. This is a normal requirement to download apps from the Play Store or use any other Google services.
Only sign in to your Google account if you own the computer and are the only one using it. Should someone else start Bluestacks on your computer in your absence, they will have access to all your data stored on the Google servers. They will be able to read your email, see pictures stored on Google Drive and even make purchases from the Play Store.
Visit Bluestacks Help for more discussion. We also provide guides on how to root bluestacks, install bluestacks, and how to use bluestacks.
Safety Score
It has been rated as safe on MyWot and you can read the reviews written by users over here. Rated 92 in trustworthiness and 91 in child safety, it is a very good score. It means that users trust Bluestacks with their data and privacy.
Minimum System Requirements
To ensure that BlueStacks will install and run smoothly on your computer, make sure that your system meets the minimum requirements:
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 or higher
- Processor: Intel or AMD processor
- RAM: At least 2GB RAM (Please note that having 2GB of disk space is not a substitute for RAM)
- HDD: 5GB free disk space
- You must be an administrator of your PC
- Updated graphics drivers for Microsoft or the chipset vendor
For more information, you may also check Bluestacks Download and Bluestacks Update. For more reviews, read Bluestacks Reviews.
FAQ
Is Bluestacks a virus?Bluestacks is not a virus. It is an emulator to run android apps or games on windows or mac.
Does Bluestacks install malware?Bluestacks does not any malware document, it is totally safe and legal to use. Indeed it has some minimum requirements for your computer to run smoothly.
Final Thoughts
I have been using Bluestacks for the past one and a half year. And have never experienced any problems regarding security or privacy. Having to download sponsored apps may seem suspicious. But if you are a serious user then you should consider paying for the premium version rather than download a free app version all the time.
If you still have any doubts regarding your safety while using Bluestacks then, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below.