You may have a nagging question in mind, “Is Bluestacks safe?” when you have to use the app quite often. Well, if you do, you aren’t alone because there are so many other users with the same question. Although the general answer would be a ‘yes, some people are still doubtful about it.
Based on the general reviews of many users, the app is completely safe and easy to use, especially if you want to enjoy Android apps on your PC. But if you still have such a pressing idea or thought, and you still have doubts about the overall quality of the app, let’s dig further and reveal the overall truth about the app, shall we?
Is Bluestacks Safe To Use? – Understanding Bluestacks
Bluestacks users are mostly wondering if is Bluestacks safe because they have to install and run the app on their computers. Bluestacks is a crucial software if you want to have Android experience (as well as enjoying and accessing Android apps) on your computer.
Keep in mind that different devices would have different operating systems. PCs are mostly running on Windows OS while Android phones are running on…. well, Android. But in some cases, PC users want to access Android apps ON their PCs.
The solution is to bring the Android environment and setting on the PC, allowing users to enjoy flexible operation. That’s why we need Bluestacks because the app is the one able to bring out Android environment to the PC. Users can also play Android games on their PC – which is why Bluestacks become popular.
In short, Bluestacks is the best free Android emulator that supports cross-platform usage. It can be used for Mac as well as Windows. As an emulator, it allows you to run the Android system and applications within the desktop. It is claimed that there are more than 1 million users that have used the Bluestacks app. They play favorite Android games on their PC, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Samsung.
Once you have downloaded and installed the emulator, you deliver a virtual Android-alike atmosphere in your Mac or Windows. With the app, you can play some Android games, such as Clash Royale, PUBG Mobile, KineMaster PC, and so much more.
Bluestacks Affecting the Performance
Aside from the question is Bluestacks safe, users also question whether Bluestacks causes the PC to slow down. These two questions are the most popular ones concerning the software. Well, you should know that Bluestacks needs at least 8GB RAM to operate perfectly and run smoothly on the computer.
The problem is, many of the users don’t really understand this requirement. Some may know but they don’t really care. They either don’t know whether their computer meets the minimum requirements or they simply don’t care.
Even when they know that their computer doesn’t exactly match those requirements, they still install the software – no matter what. As a result, Bluestacks does slow down their computers because the computer has to divide the power and resources to keep all the activities running.
So, for users with low end specs, their computers will significantly experience slowing down. But those with high end specs, they won’t have to worry about a thing. Their computers would be able to run and operate just normally and smoothly without any hindrance or issue.
However, if you have several apps open and running, you may notice a bit slowing down. If your system is high-performance type, the slowing down may be very little. But the main issue still remains: is Bluestacks safe?
The minimum (system) requirements for Windows are:
- It has 8GB of RAM (minimum)
- The OS should be Windows 7 and higher (Windows 10 or Windows 11)
- It should have 100GB of disk space
- The processor should be AMD or Intel
- It should have administration privileges
- It must have up-to-date graphics drivers
The minimum requirements for Mac are:
- It has 8GB of RAM (minimum)
- The OS should be High Sierra, Mojave, and Mac OS Sierra
- It should have 100GB for disk space
- It should have administration privileges
- It must have up-to-date graphics drivers from vendor
The Safety of Bluestacks
One of the biggest concerns about Bluestacks is about its content. Many users are suspicious that the software may contain malware – which is hidden inside it. However, many people have tested the software by running it through various reliable and trusted antivirus programs, such as Avast, AVG, Norton, Kaspersky, and McAfee. All of those tests have shown similar results: there is no malware detected within Bluestacks. Even after being run several times and within different programs, Bluestacks doesn’t have any malware script or such thing alike. The software is totally clean.
So, what about users complaining that their antivirus showed different results? These users state that their antivirus showed that there is a threat on Bluestacks. Well, there is an explanation about it and it is related to the safety procedure. But if you are bothered by the annoying notification, you can always set the settings:
- Add Bluestacks within the antivirus program list. Every antivirus will have such a trusted list. Then add it as a trusted program
- Update the antivirus and make sure you have the latest version
- Update the software if you are within the lower version
The Matter of Security
So, is Bluestacks safe to use? Or is it a risky threat? The deal with Bluestacks installation, you need to disable the antivirus’ real time protection (especially in Windows 10). Such an action alone would seem to be risky. But in reality, such an action won’t harm the computer – in any way. You can always reactivate (or re-enable) the real time protection or the antivirus from your settings.
The Most popular antiviruses would monitor any effort changing your system. They will either block the efforts or alert you. After all, antiviruses would detect if something is suspicious or virus-like. And once it does, it will do some actions.
Now, when you install the software, different things may likely happen, such as:
- The software may write Windows registry right into the Registry editor
- It writes program files to the Windows folder
- It has privileges for stopping, installing, and starting Windows services
- It is able to auto-start during boot
- It modifies files that are related to the program
You see, these are some of the things a common malware would do. Some antivirus programs, unfortunately, can’t accurately differentiate malware from clean (and safe) software. This is the main reason why most antivirus programs would ‘flag’ Bluestacks if they are turned on during the installation.
This is also the reason why you are required to deactivate real-time feature temporarily during the installation – because if it remains on, the installation won’t be successful. It would clash and you will go nowhere. It’s pretty understandable why Bluestacks would do the same procedure.
Many users are still wondering whether it is safe to uninstall the antivirus although it is temporary. But rest assured that I t is completely safe and sound.
So, in the overall end, is Bluestacks safe? Yes, absolutely. Just don’t forget to activate it again after the installation has been done successfully. Your system would be completely safe. After all, Bluestacks has been proven to be very solid and secure.
Is the Software Legit?
Bluestacks enables Android virtual world on the desktop environment. As you are well-aware of, Android runs on an open-source mechanism, which means that Bluestacks is completely legal, legit, and safe. They aren’t the same as other emulators, such as Gamecube, Gameboy, or Nintendo, because these ones are illegal. Nintendo emulator, for a starter, is basically a pirated system. It will pirate the system from the inside, which isn’t a good idea if you want to enjoy safe operation.
Final Words
In the end, you have the options to choose whether you want to use Bluestacks or not. And after reading the overall facts and information about this software, you can decide by yourself is Bluestacks safe – or not.
