Microsoft has announced plans to remove support for Android apps on Windows 11, having only introduced support in October 2021.
Within one year, Microsoft will stop maintaining the virtual machine Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) by the end of 2024.
The WSA enables users to run and install the majority of Android apps through the Amazon Android marketplace as a result of an agreement formed between the two industry leaders. The marketplace will also become inaccessible when support ends.
The tech giant laid out plans to discontinue WSA via its Microsoft Learn platform:
From March 6th, Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android.”
“As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will no longer be supported beginning March 5, 2025. Until then, technical support will remain available to customers.
“Customers that have installed the Amazon Appstore or Android apps prior to March 5, 2024, will continue to have access to those apps through the deprecation date of March 5, 2025.”
Although the final cut-off date is not until March 5 next year, Microsoft says it has already begun the process of ending support for both the Amazon Appstore and Android apps.
The news publication Ars Technica has found that, for the time being, Microsoft is displaying a warning message to users that attempt to install a new app, but the installation process itself appears to be uninterrupted as of yet.
Furthermore, it asserts that although the WSA provides a simple path to running Android apps, it has never connected with Android’s central app marketplace, Google Play Store.
Compared to the Google Play Store, Amazon has a much smaller selection of applications, which will have likely been insufficient for a number of users, drawing them to alternative platforms and web-based app versions where they can access the apps they want to use.
Perhaps, then, the reason behind Microsoft’s end of support for the WSA is simply a lack of uptake and may not, therefore, be such a great loss to the Windows 11 community after all.
Not the End, Not Really
If Microsoft were signalling a complete distancing of Android apps on Windows, then it would potentially be a big step backwards for accessibility, productivity, and user experience, but its actions elsewhere appear to confirm its continued commitment to integrating Android into Windows.
Microsoft recently launched a feature enabling Android users to turn their device’s camera into a webcam using Windows 11. Similarly, last month, Microsoft partnered with Samsung to transform smartphones into Teams webcams.
Moreover, TechCrunch points out that it will still be possible to use Android apps on Windows as various third-party providers like Waydroid offer support for Android apps using Linux-based system containers and the Android emulator BlueStacks.
Also, in February 2023, Microsoft announced it would shutter the Windows 11 Mail and Calendar apps by the end of the year, with the applications due to be dropped from the Microsoft app store as well. The move appears to be encouraging users to switch to the Outlook app instead.
from UC Today https://ift.tt/xwWfyNY
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