It was only a few years ago, in 2021, that Windows 11 gained official support for Android apps, thanks to a VM managed by Microsoft called Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). With WSA, Windows 11 users can optionally install and run almost the entire range of Android apps through Amazon's Android Marketplace (Amazon Appstore), thanks to an agreement between Amazon and Microsoft. It will be.
Currently, Windows 11 has lost official support for Android apps, and with it, access to the Amazon Appstore.
Microsoft announced today that it plans to end maintenance for WSA by the end of the year. Windows 11 users who have Amazon Appstore or Android apps installed will continue to have access to those apps until March 5, 2025, but not after that. And starting tomorrow, Amazon will prevent new users from downloading the Amazon Appstore from Microsoft's Windows app store, the Microsoft Store.
Image credit: Microsoft
“Customers can continue to use previously installed Amazon Appstore apps and receive app updates.” [after March 6]” Amazon wrote in a blog post published today. “Developers will no longer be able to submit pure new apps targeting Windows 11 starting March 5, 2024, but developers with existing apps will be aware that the Amazon Appstore for Windows 11 will be completely retired. You can continue to submit app updates until
As Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham points out, WSA is a convenient way to run Android apps on Windows, but it's limited from the start because it doesn't have access to the official Android app store, the Google Play Store. (at least not without a workaround). There is no doubt that the Amazon Appstore has fewer options, and in many cases, users have opted for web-based apps that can be installed via native Windows or WSA.
In other words, WSA usage was probably pretty low at a time when Microsoft's attention was clearly going elsewhere, like generative AI and its various incarnations in Windows.
Just because Microsoft has ended support for WSA doesn't mean you can no longer run Android apps on Windows. A number of third-party alternatives exist, including Waydroid, which provides support for Android apps through Linux-based system containers, and BlueStacks, his Android emulator for Windows and macOS.
And Microsoft's commitment to bridging the gap between Android and Windows devices doesn't seem to be wavering.
Just this week, Microsoft released a feature that allows Android users to use their device's camera as a webcam on Windows 11. Microsoft also maintains other apps such as Link to Windows, which lets Android (and iOS) users make and receive calls and reply to texts. Check and ignore notifications from your Windows PC.