Windows 11 bids farewell to official support for Android apps

Users will no more access possible, install fresh Android applications from Amazon’s Appstore on Windows 11

Windows 11 is about to end its official support for Android apps, consequently losing access to the Amazon Appstore. 

Just a few years back, in 2021, Windows 11 officially embraced Android apps with the aid of a Microsoft-managed virtual machine known as the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA).

Thanks to a collaborative agreement between Amazon and Microsoft, Windows 11 users were able to set up and operate an array of Android applications through the WSA.

They also had the option of utilizing Amazon’s Android marketplace, the Amazon Appstore. 

Microsoft announced today that the maintenance of the WSA will cease within the upcoming year. Windows 11 users who have already integrated the Amazon Appstore or Android apps will retain access to these applications until March 5, 2025, following which access will be discontinued.

Amazon also intends to block new users from downloading the Amazon App Store via the Microsoft Store, which serves as Microsoft’s application store for Windows. 

 Amazon wrote in a blog post published today that “Customers may continue using Amazon Appstore apps that they previously installed and will still be able to receive app updates (after March 6).”

“Developers will no longer be able to submit net new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024, but developers with an existing app can continue to submit app updates until Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is fully discontinued.” 

As highlighted by Andrew Cunningham from Ars Technica, the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) faced constraints from its inception because of its incapacity to directly connect to the Google Play Store, the designated marketplace for Android applications.

Consequently, users had to resort to alternative methods to access the full array of Android apps. The limited selection offered by the Amazon Appstore likely pushed users towards utilizing native Windows applications or web-based versions of the same apps available through the WSA. 

To put it differently, the adoption of WSA was probably relatively modest when Microsoft focused on advancements in generative AI and its integration within the Windows ecosystem. 

Source: Newsroom