With how fast-paced and crowded our lives have become, it’s no wonder that so many people are looking for quick and effective cures for daily anxiety. “Adult coloring” has been a tested and proven method for many people struggling to get through the daily grind, and Colorfy–a mobile app centered around this practice–has seen quite a lot of success as a result, even if it’s not technically available on Windows PCs or Macs quite yet. We’re here with a guide that will show you how to access this simple (yet amazing) application from the comfort of a larger screen than you’ll find with any mobile device.
People uninitiated with the “adult coloring” phenomenon might not understand it, but it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of a practice once it’s become an international success. What used to be reserved for children is now being embraced by grown men and women, and its migration to mobile devices has put this helpful process right in your pocket. “Art as therapy” is a theory that’s existed for hundreds of years, but only recently has modern medicine began to take it as seriously as it deserves. Anxiety disorders and the frenetic distress that can be brought on by a more crowded culture than humanity has ever known has resulted in more study and attention into how we can relieve symptoms and problems from those who suffer from them, and one of those methods has boiled down into the simple act of coloring.
To be clear, none of these studies has presented art as a cure. Instead, the act of coloring served to alleviate distress and reduce the impact of prominent symptoms for people who practiced it. Colorfy capitalizes on this tendency and provides its users with many different patterns and images that can be colored from your very screen. Using actual, tangible tools might always deliver better results, but for those of us on-the-go, Colorfy is a wonderful alternative.
The patterns and images available in Colorfy present something for just about anyone who downloads the app. Some designs will be simple while others will demand a practiced hand and greater focus to complete. This varying difficulty allows Colorfy to satisfy in any environment, from work to home. However, there’s the caveat that currently exists for Colorfy, and stands as a barrier to more users taking advantage of it:
It’s only available on Android OS and iOS, without any evident alternative for people who would rather use it on a larger screen. Though it may not be obvious at first, there is an actual alternative that’s more accessible than you think, and it will allow you to run Colorfy on your Mac or Windows PC with relative ease.
Bringing Colorfy to Your Desktop or Laptop
Sometimes, a bigger screen is just better. Your eyes and concentration may very well thank you for choosing to tackle apps on a surface where your eyes have more room to roam and explore, rather than being riveted to your smartphone or tablet. If that sounds like you, then the following process is going to open up a whole new world of app possibilities.
There isn’t a native version of Colorfy outside of what you’ll find on the Android and iOS app stores, so what we’ll need to do is bring the app experience to your computer. We’ll accomplish this through Android emulation, but don’t fret; even if that concept is foreign to you, we’ll show you how to accomplish it through a few easy steps.
Emulation is the process of “tricking” your computer’s resources into acting like a different operating system or digital environment. Mac owners have been using Bootcamp to emulate Windows for years, and just the same, we’ll introduce you to a few pieces of well-designed third-party software that will allow you to emulate the Android OS. “What about iOS?” you might ask. While Apple’s mobile operating system is theoretically open to emulation, the proprietary coding and lack of flexibility in the operating system make it a nightmare to emulate. Therefore, we’ll be relying exclusively upon Android emulation, even if you’re a Mac owner!
Rest assured that Android emulation is 100% legal, and has very little risk involved as long as you follow our handy instructions.
Android Emulators
Finding the right emulator for your needs doesn’t have to be a difficult task, and we have a few strong recommendations that will save you the trouble of having to hunt one down. There are a few qualifying priorities that we’re going to use to determine which ones will work for you:
- Does it have touch-screen support? This isn’t always the most important feature, but for Colorfy, you’re going to want it. The connection between the use of your hands and the corresponding response on the screen is important to Colorfy’s therapeutic potential.
- Is it easy to use? This is always important and remains so due to some software being bloated with unnecessary features that the average user doesn’t need.
- Will it hog your computer’s resources? It’s hard to recommend downloading software that will eat up several gigabytes of free hard drive space, so I’ve pared down the contenders to those that are more likely to fit onto your computer with relative ease.
With these taken into consideration, I’ll make three recommendations that will hopefully meet your needs. All are relatively unintrusive, and will let you run Colorfy and other Android apps at your leisure, whether you’re on a Mac or a Windows PC.
- Bluestacks: The most popular Android emulator on the market, thanks to its top-notch programming and professional presentation. Never mind that it’s marketed heavily towards Android gamers; it will tackle Colorfy as well as any dedicated Android device, and is easy to install, set up, and use. The free version comes with third-party software ad support, but if you’re willing to fork over $2 per month, you can upgrade to the “premium” version that’s ad-free.
- Andyroid: My personal emulator of choice, and an all-around capable piece of software. I find Andyroid’s minimalistic, straightforward approach to be preferable to the competition, and it has many of the same features as Bluestacks.
- Manymo: If you’re not in a position to download or install software on your computer, Manymo might be your go-to emulator. It’s browser-based, and will require that you have the .apk (application) file of any apps that you want to use, most of which can be found on Google Play. Additionally, you’ll only get 10 limited-duration uses per month unless you’re willing to pay a subscription fee. Still, Manymo is as lightweight as lightweight gets, since you won’t have to install any software to support it.
Any of the above emulators will allow us to proceed, so decide which one best suits your preferences, and then follow its respective download and installation procedures (they’ll all be very simple.) Afterward, boot up your new software and you’ll see that the overall layout is very similar to that of an Android home screen. For all intents and purposes, you can navigate it just like you would an Android device.
Interacting with Colorfy on Your Windows PC or Mac
First, you’ll have to download Colorfy, which can be done from the Google Play store. Since you’re technically running a legitimate instance of the Android OS, the copy of Colorfy will be also. From there, your interaction with the popular app is going to be dependent upon your own hardware setup.
If your desktop or laptop computer has a touch screen and it’s registering through your new emulator, you’ll be able to interact with the Colorfy app via the touch controls on your very screen–just like you might on a smartphone or tablet! If it doesn’t, you’re not out of luck. Every emulator above has mouse and keyboard controls that are designed to emulate the types of motions you could make with actual touch controls. You might lose out on some of the calming effects that come from coloring if you’re not using your hands to interact with the actual image, but you can still take away some of that experience that you’d otherwise only find on a mobile device.
The medical studies put towards the relationship between art and healing are still ongoing, and new findings are being made all of the time. If you suffer from daily or recurring anxiety, the simple practice of coloring might be just the quick fix you need to reduce some of that stress in a healthy, manageable way. Thankfully, the risk-free practice of Android emulation can help to bridge that mobile experience with the convenience of your desktop or laptop computer, no matter where you are. As long as you’re able to hop online and download one of our recommended emulators, getting Colorfy for your Windows PC or Mac can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. If you’re a Colorfy user who has experiences and testimony to share, or if you’re a reader with further questions about the apps and software discussed in this article, post in the comments below!