Ok, you’ve installed the PlayBook OS 2 beta. You’ve rooted your PlayBook. Now it’s time to get the Android Market up and running on your PlayBook.

Why?

Because while it’s certainly cool that PlayBook OS 2 lets you run repackaged Android apps that have been converted to RIM’s .BAR format, it’s way cooler to just install them as if you’re using a regular old Android device via the Market. It’s also a lot easier and makes a wider selection of Android apps available for the PlayBook.

Update: This guide only works with a BlackBerry PlayBook running OS 2.0 beta. If you’re running a newer version of the operating system, there’s not currently a way to jailbreak your device, and the steps below will not work

Update 2: It’s unlikely the dingleberry tool will be updated to supports PlayBook OS 2.0 or newer software anytime soon. The dingleberry website now redirects to the jailbreak.me blog. 

If you haven’t already rooted your PlayBook and installed PlayBook OS 2 beta, go do that now before attempting to install the market. You won’t get anywhere if you skip those two steps.

You’re also going to need an SCP client like WinSCP (use the first link labelled ‘installation package’) and PuTTYgen. Download and install them on your computer before following the steps below, too.

The following instructions assume you’re using a Windows computer, because for now the only way to root a PlayBook is to use a Windows PC.

It’s also worth noting that you’ll need a PlayBook running OS 2 beta for this to work, since DingleBerry cannot yet jailbreak the final version of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

  1. Download the current Google Apps package.

  2. Extract the contents of the .zip file (you’ll need them later).

  3. Download an Android launcher app packaged as a .bar file from PlayBook Bars and install it using DDPb Installer (mentioned on the PlayBook OS 2 tutorial. (Just choose any of the apps with “Launcher” in the name such as Android Launcher, Launcher, or the Honeycomb Launcher).

4.Tap your launcher app to initialize the Android Player on your PlayBook (it should appear on your PlayBook homescreen near the bottom).

5.Launch PuTTYgen on your computer, press the load button, and browse to your Dingleberry folder. Change the file type dropdown to all files and double click the file rsa to select it.

6.Click OK when you see the PuTTYgen notice above and then click save private key. Name your file something easy to remember (like playbook.psk) and save it.

  1. Log into your playbook as root with an scp client (eg: WinSCP for windows). Use your PlayBook’s IP address for the host name and root for the username. Under private key file, click the button and browse to (and select) the playbook.psk file you just saved in PuTTYgen.

  1. When the WinSCP file explorer opens, your computer appears on the left and the PlayBook appears on the right. In the left pane, browse to the folder where you extracted the CyanogenMod Google apps.

  2. Copy the META-INF and system folders to the root directory of your PlayBook (the system folder will merge with the existing system folder on your PlayBook).

  3. In the right pane, browse to /system/app/ and delete SetupWizard.apk. Now click the folder icon with the up arrow (again, in the right pane)

  4. Again in the right pane, browse to /apps/sys.android.XXXX.ns/native/scripts [enter]. XXXX is different for every PlayBook, and it’s a LONG number.

  5. Once you’ve changed directories, click the black box icon that says HOM to open a command prompt in WinSCP.

  6. Type ./android-player-cmd.sh kill-android-core.sh [enter] to kill the current Android Player process on your PlayBook.

14.Launch the launcher app you installed in step 3.

  1. Using the launcher app, tap through to the full apps listing (often in the top right corner of a launcher’s main screen). Tap Android Market (or another Google app), and enter your Google account details.

  2. If Google logs you in, you’re done! If not, retrace your steps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fzy32o_Z6w

Bear in mind, not every app you download from the Market is going to work.

While the PlayBook can run Android apps, some of the ones you try to install may be dependent upon libraries or frameworks that aren’t included by RIM (like the Google Maps framework, which is missing and prevents apps like Current from working).

Also note that Android apps don’t have access to the PlayBook’s cameras just yet, though that could certainly change when PlayBook OS 2 is released in February.

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Lee Mathews

Computer tech, blogger, husband, father, and avid MSI U100 user.

48 replies on “Install Android Market on BlackBerry PlayBook”

  1. after entering the IP of my playbook as host name, it shows network error and i cannot login i have checked IP properly.

  2. I got the rsa file and I generated a playbook.ppk file, but not I am unable to connect to WinSCP! Please tell me what to do! I got it once where it asked me for the password, and no matter what password I enter, it said that it was wrong! Please help!

  3. One Question…when you say
    Launch PuTTYgen on your computer, press the load button, and browse to your Dingleberry folder. Change the file type dropdown to all files and double click the file rsa to select it, I am unable to find any file called RSA or and .rsa files…
    I am in the folder called Dingleberry which I downloaded and extracted…. Got it from https://www.dingleberry.it/Dingleberry-3.3.3-Windows.zip

    Please help me out! Thanks!

  4. am using os 2.0.0.7971..can i jailbrake it?????wen i try doing it its tells me jailbrake fail…why???

  5. Plz help me after rooting my PlayBook no problems will be there RIGHT ?? and even the instalation thing how to root it in a easy way 

    Email me [email protected]

  6. For login name use “devuser”. “root” seems to be invalid. As of Dec 24, 2011, You cannot root versions 6 and 7(2.0.07xxx) 

    But you can still follow the directions and sideload apps like hulu and such

  7. whilw looging in from winscp i get the error “connection refused”. IAm able to ping to the ip from my system. Please help regarding this.

  8. Cannot log in as root user it says “connection refused”. please help I am on OS 2.0

  9. i have playbook OS 2 how i can install android app player for OS 2 i want to install honeycomb for playbook

  10. I have problem with downloading  Android launcher app…any suggestions ??

  11. Good day,

    Now that OS2.0 is released and I can run a .bar such as google sky – can I get the Andriod Market without rooting?

  12. Dear Sir.

    please help me…
    at the step of “Copying Cyanogen Google Apps files”
    i can’t copy both system folder and META-INF folder…
    “scp: /system: Permission denied”
    please help me how to solve this problem…many thanks ! 

  13. Awesome blog i rooted my playbook with this only, doesn’t matter whichever os u are running just run smooth android.!

    1. hey avinash you in India, as i am not even able to upgrade OS 2 , i keep on getting ‘currently you have the latest software installed’ version 1.0.8.6067

  14. everything but the last two steps ran smoothly. i click the launcher app that i installed from step 3, but when i do, it shows the bb logo and says instilizing… then after 2 or 3 minutes or so, it closes, and goes back to my main screen

  15. thats the best way, run the dingle berry app, keep it open after you DINGLE SSH, once you get your #, you can close the black window, but keep open the DINGLE SSH, it somehow starts the connection, then you can use just ROOT and the default IP.

  16. Can you make a video on how to root it? And please elaborate on the steps as well, I dont understand some of the steps at the beginning.

  17. hi i get the message connection refused in winscp, im pretty sure i have correct ip add, the thing is i thought it isnt neccesary to do back up so i didnt until after i should use it in dongleberry,then i didnt restore it at all
    couldnt connected to pb as root only as devuser now i did it as i suppose to with only that backup file wrong as i cannot change it i assume and i get that connection error…neither as devuser is working..any ideas? btw when i was trying that dingle ssh both times i got command line window for a fragment of second saying permission denied .   pleaase help me

  18. I have successfully followed all the steps but when I launch HCL Updater and then get HoneyComb up and running, I get all the Android Icons apart from the Market Icon and yes I have clicked the ‘All Apps’ button in the top right corner and still can’t see the Market icon in the complete list.

    Anybody got any idea about what i am might be doing wrong? Thanks

  19. network error : connection refused —> when I tried to log in to winscp. 
    Could u give me more details or screen shot to login please 🙁 ???

  20. Another question, what do I typ in at Username in winSCP. In the instruction it says root but where can I find my root?

    1. You have to run dingleberry.exe at least once to root your device, then you will find a file called rsa…

    1. *when we are logging in WinSCP, it asked for Username, and password. what do i put for these.

  21. When I try to log in with winscp, it keeps telling me the server refused our key

  22. I tried to install the android market with DDPB installer, it says done after I installed it but it won’t show up on the tablet. :'(

    1. you have to open your android launcher..do you have honeycomb or any other Launcher?

  23. dear Sir
    Thanks It connected ….but it require a username……

    1. root is the username…the password part is what I know not…

  24. dear sir 
    In winscp i’d try to connect it but it doesnt connecting…please help me.

    1. You need to open the Dingleberry app, click the Dingle SSH button at the top, then click Connect at the bottom.  It will open a terminal window where you should see a “#” symbol upon successful root SSH connection.  THEN, you can connect using WinSCP.

      1. Hey Jeremy it is not working it say the Key is refused and keep asking me for a login name

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