Microsoft Allows Windows 11 Testers To Try Android Apps, Only Valid In US

Android application tested to run on Windows 11. (photo: microsoft)

JAKARTA – Microsoft is now allowing Windows 11 testers to try out Android apps. A preview version of Windows Subsystem for Android is available to Windows 11 beta testers October 20, providing access to apps from the Amazon Appstore. Testers with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors will all be able to try out Android apps on Windows 11.

Apps can be loaded via the Microsoft Store, which will list the various apps which then lead to the Amazon Appstore to load and install. Android apps can run alongside other Windows apps, and are also integrated into the Alt+Tab view and Task View, and you can pin them to the Start menu or taskbar.

“You can view notifications from Android app notifications in Action Center or share your clipboard between Windows apps and Android apps,” explains the Android team at Windows 11. “We've built the experience with accessibility in mind; many of the Windows accessibility settings apply to Android apps and we're working with Amazon to provide more improvements."

Microsoft has partnered with Amazon to compile 50 apps for Windows Insiders to test on Windows 11. This includes mobile games like Lords Mobile, June's Journey, and Coin Master. There are also reading apps like Kindle, and kids apps like Lego Duplo World or Khan Academy Kids.

Fifty apps is a small selection of the more than 3 million apps available on the Google Play Store, and even more than 600,000 on the Amazon Appstore. It's unclear how many Android apps will be available once this feature is widely rolled out for Windows 11.

Microsoft has built a subsystem in Windows 11 to enable Android app support. This includes the Linux kernel and Android OS based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) version 11. “The subsystem runs on a Hyper-V Virtual Machine, much like the Windows Subsystem for Linux,” says Microsoft Android app on the Windows 11 team. “It understands how to map the runtime and application APIs in the AOSP environment to the Windows graphics layer, memory buffers, input modes, physical and virtual devices, and sensors.”

This subsystem supports AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm chips, and Microsoft has partnered with Intel to enable Arm-only applications to run on AMD and Intel devices.

Microsoft is only enabling Android apps on the Windows 11 Beta Channel at this time, and the company says it plans to bring previews to Dev Channel users "on the road." Your Windows 11 PC needs to be tuned to the US region, in the Beta Channel, and also requires a US-based Amazon account to access the Amazon Appstore.