The act of installing and running the Android operating system on a Raspberry Pi single-board computer allows for the repurposing of the device to function as an Android-based system. This process involves flashing a specifically prepared Android image to a storage medium, such as a microSD card, and booting the Raspberry Pi from that medium.
This capability broadens the utility of the Raspberry Pi, enabling users to leverage the extensive Android ecosystem of applications and services on a low-cost, readily available hardware platform. Historically, this was driven by a desire to utilize Android’s user-friendly interface and broad software support on devices beyond traditional smartphones and tablets. This provides an alternative use-case for the Raspberry Pi outside its typical role in Linux-based projects.