Officially, the answer is no – our apps are written for iOS and Android touch-screen devices only (not Windows Surface tablets). However, if you’re a bit tech-savvy, the answer can be yes!
Currently, our apps are available through Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, but there is a way to access the Google Play Store on virtually any computer. It is strongly recommended that you try this with one of our free Lite apps to make sure everything works well for you before paying for the full versions.
Some Notes:
- Some Chromebooks already have the Google Play Store on them so you can just go there and download the apps as normal.
- Adding the Google Play Store to other devices is not supported by Tactus Therapy, Google, or Microsoft. We accept no liability for any problems this might cause with your computer.
Putting the Google Play Store on your computer
The way this is done is through a piece of software called an Android emulator. When you install and run this software on your computer, it turns your computer into an Android phone or tablet. You can then access the Google Play Store through the emulator, sign in with your Google account, and buy, download, and use almost any app that is available, just like you would on your Android phone or tablet.
Please Note: Even if you already own the iOS version of our apps, they will not work on a computer – not even on a Mac. The method we are describing is for using the Android version of our apps on any computer, and the Android versions are a separate purchase from the iOS versions. All but a few of our apps are available on Google Play.
What are some popular Android emulators?
There are lots of Android emulators available. Some are free, while others are paid or have subscriptions. Some are easier to use, whereas others have lots of options to customize your experience. Some require registering with the provider, some don’t. These are the Android emulators that we have tried with the Tactus Therapy apps:
- Bluestacks – FREE with a subscription option
- Nox – FREE
- Genymotion – FREE for personal use only
All of the above are available for your Windows PC or Mac OS computer.
Each piece of software works in a slightly different way, but once installed and configured, you should be able to sign in to the Google Play Store and access our apps. As each one is different, we won’t list how to install and setup here. That is why you need to have, or know someone with, a bit of computer knowledge. Each website will have guides, support, and even videos to help you.
Before going ahead though, there are a few more things you should know.
Problems with using Android emulators on computers
The main issue is that each of the emulators is just simulating the Android operating system. This means that the behavior of the apps might not be as good as they are on an actual Android device. Some functionality might be broken, but these cases should be rare. For this reason, we highly recommend that you download the free Lite versions first before you buy the apps, to ensure that the apps are working correctly. You’ll also need to use the mouse to operate the app instead of touch, unless you have a touch-screen computer.
We don’t officially support any of the Android emulators above. We can’t control third-party software, and our focus is on making sure our apps work well on the touch-screen tablets they were designed for. However, we will always do our best to help you with any problems that you might have. If you do experience any problems with our apps on any Android emulator, please contact us and we will see if we are able to fix it.
Sound not working
Some of the Android emulators have problems with the text-to-speech and this means that it's possible that the speech prompts won't work. To fix this, you can install the Google Speech-to-text engine from the Google Play Store and enable it. There is more information on doing that here: Google Speech-to-text
Give it a try!
The next time you’re trying to recommend our apps to a client, family member, or friend who doesn’t have a tablet or phone, remember that it is possible for our apps to work on a computer – if they’re willing to take a few extra steps. Good luck!
Similarly, you can install the Google Play App Store on an Amazon Fire tablet if you feel confident following the steps. Then you can use the Tactus Therapy apps for Android tablets on your Fire device. Again, try the free Lite apps first to make sure it works.