The death of Android apps on Windows shows that we never wanted our phones on our computers

Key operations

• The lack of Google support and the barren Amazon Appstore made the Windows Subsystem for Android unattractive.
• There aren’t enough Windows tablets to benefit from touch-optimized Android apps.
• People are not interested in connecting their phones to their PCs.

After just over two years of Android apps on Windows 11, Microsoft has announced that it is ending support for the platform, removing the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store effective immediately, while existing users will be supported for just one more year. Considering how big of a deal it was when this feature was announced, it may seem surprising to see it being discontinued so soon, but in reality, it seems like the writing was on the wall all along.

Many factors have prevented the Windows for Android subsystem from being a huge success, but what I would consider the biggest is that there is simply no interest in porting your phone to a laptop or desktop. Most people are happy with these devices being separate, even if we sometimes think we aren’t.

Android apps don’t mean much without Google

The Amazon Appstore is much more barren

The first problem with the Windows subsystem for Android that contributed to its demise is that Microsoft never really had Google’s support. It probably never would have happened, and instead, Microsoft decided to adopt an open-source version of Android and go to Amazon for its app store. In theory, it’s a solid concept, as these two platforms can feed off each other and help each other grow.

But for the average user, the Amazon Appstore alone means you can’t get almost any Android app you care about. When we wrote about the best Android apps for Windows, most of them had to be sideloaded, and sure, it wasn’t a super difficult process, but it was still a barrier to entry. All the while, solutions like Bluestacks support Google apps, which makes this solution more attractive for those who want Android apps on their computers. It just wasn’t appealing.

They don’t make sense without a cell phone

The days of Project Astoria were already behind us in 2021

Part of the reason I think people were excited about Android apps on Windows was Project Astoria, something Microsoft was working on during the Windows 10 era to bring Android apps to Windows. However, the big difference is that back then Microsoft had a mobile platform to invest in, and Android apps seemed like the only way to save it. No one was willing to support the platform with native apps, so this project was huge for Windows fans who were desperate for Windows 10 Mobile to succeed.

But by the time the Windows Subsystem for Android was introduced, Windows Phones were long dead and there really wasn’t any reason for that to happen. It’s like Microsoft was very late responding to what fans were asking for back in 2015, or maybe there was hope that with the development of the Android app ecosystem, Windows mobile devices could make a comeback, but it just didn’t pan out.

There aren’t enough Windows tablets

How many people really need touch-optimized apps?

A big point in favor of Android apps on Windows 11 would be that they can be used on tablets like the Surface Pro 9. The problem is that outside of that line of devices, there really aren’t many more tablets that point to where it could be useful. The Windows tablet market is incredibly stagnant at the moment, despite Microsoft making some genuine efforts to improve the touch experience on Windows 11, with plenty of new gestures for easier navigation. It just wasn’t enough, and partners don’t see enough incentive to produce new tablets.

Both Dell and Lenovo have introduced new tablets recently, but they’re only business devices that will be sold to a handful of companies and not much else. Dell had the XPS 13 2-in-1 in 2022, but it was a short-lived device that hasn’t received a single refresh until now. It seems like all the Windows tablets on the market are either too expensive or too expensive for anyone to care, and there just isn’t enough interest. If you have a Surface Pro, losing Android apps is a big deal, but there aren’t really that many people in that group all things considered.

Do we even want our phones on our computers?

There are other solutions, but are they really useful for most people?

The last thing that I feel has played a big part in the demise of the Windows Subsystem for Android is that I just don’t believe that many of us want to connect our phones to our computers that much. It’s something that always sounds really cool in concept, and when it becomes available, I try it for a few days and never use it again.

It’s not just a Windows subsystem for Android. There are other such solutions. Bluestacks does much the same thing, as mentioned above, and you also have options like Phone Link and Intel Unison, which connect to your phone instead of giving you access to apps and files on the device you already have. I’ve tried all of these solutions and haven’t stuck with any of them, and it seems like a lot of people do.

Except maybe the synchronization of SMS messages — one of the few things that really it’s usually not available on a computer — there’s no time when I’d rather open my phone apps on a computer, or it’s just too clunky to be spontaneous. Many of these features require you to unlock your phone, so why not just use it for whatever you’re trying to do at that point? Additionally, all the apps on your phone are optimized for phones and probably won’t work well with a mouse or on a landscape screen.

Most apps and services today have web versions that work better on your desktop than Android apps, while others only have native apps. On occasions where you have to use an Android app for some reason, the hassle of setting things up on your computer probably takes longer than just picking up the phone.

Computers and phones are fine as separate devices

At the end of the day, the loss of Android apps is a big deal to the extent that it was a major feature of Windows 11, and there are bound to be users who are upset. But in the grand scheme of things, it makes sense why this feature was discontinued, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see features like Phone Link follow the same path, or at least be scaled back significantly. Unless Microsoft can achieve the level of seamlessness that Apple’s ecosystem has, I don’t see it going any other way.