A first look at Android app support on Windows 11: the apps are nicely integrated, run well, and installing them is simple, only requiring Amazon's Appstore app
Android apps can now run on Windows 11 — Microsoft has released the first preview version of its Android apps support in Windows 11.
The related coverage starts the beta with 50 apps and later describes a planned expansion to more than 20,000 apps across 31 countries, making early integration quality important: Microsoft is testing whether Amazon's catalog can make Android a meaningful Windows software source.
First-order effects
Windows 11 beta testers gain an integrated way to install and run the initial Android selection, while Amazon's Appstore becomes the required installation gateway.
Amazon gains an immediate PC distribution role for the apps in its store; Microsoft’s Android-app experience is constrained by the catalog Amazon makes available.
Second-order effects
Developers already present in Amazon's Appstore obtain a new Windows-facing channel without Microsoft creating a separate Android catalog.
The limited initial selection makes catalog breadth a competitive requirement for Amazon and a practical adoption constraint for Microsoft, ahead of the later planned 20,000-app expansion.
Third-order effects
If catalog expansion follows the preview, Windows can become a deployment surface for mobile apps where the store partner, not only the operating-system maker, controls software availability.
The trend: Desktop operating systems are increasingly extending their software libraries through mobile-app compatibility layers, with distribution control shared between the OS vendor and an app-store partner.
October 20, 2021: The day when all major desktop OS platforms finally run mobile apps. I'd say that Chrome OS gets the most bang for buck here since it has the least (none!) desktop software titles, but that's arguable, of course. https://www.theverge.com/...
here's my first look at Android apps running on Windows 11. Microsoft is previewing the feature today, and it runs surprisingly well on the right hardware. Full hands-on here: https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Chromebooks showed this was not only possible, but could be great and desirable. Rumor is that David Reveman, the wizard behind Compiz/Xgl and Chrome graphics, was one of the forces behind this stunt in the first place.
And Microsoft is now doing something similar, but with the only stack that was available for this, Android. It is a match made in heaven: Android developers get access to a larger market and Windows gets an app infusion - and fills important gaps in its computing story.
I mean technically this is the year of the linux desktop. Linux in the form of android, and Linux in the form of WSL. Feels a bit monkeys paw but hey I'll take it. We'll get there. :D https://twitter.com/...
New native applications on Mac and Windows have been declining for a while: both platforms were late to packaging, security and convenience - a gap that was filled more or less with the web and some Electron.
Per Microsoft's dev documentation, the answer to “how will Microsoft secure Android apps on Windows?” is, “they won't”. This prevents Android media apps, anything that uses DRM, and many games from being available legitimately for WSA. https://docs.microsoft.com/... https://twitt…
Microsoft has published an Android on Windows 11 document today that outlines guidance for developers. Looks like we'll be seeing the Windows Subsystem for Android soon then https://docs.microsoft.com/... https://twitter.com/...