Microsoft is ending support for its Android subsystem in Windows 11 next year. The software giant first announced that it was bringing Android apps to Windows 11 with Amazon’s Appstore nearly three years ago, but this Windows subsystem for Android will now be discontinued starting March 5. in 2025
“Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android™️ (WSA),” reads a new Microsoft support document. “As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all WSA-dependent apps and games will no longer be supported as of March 5, 2025.”
If you currently use Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, you’ll still have access to them after the end of support, but you won’t be able to download any new ones after Microsoft shuts down its Android subsystem next year. On March 6 (tomorrow), Windows 11 users will no longer be able to browse the Amazon Appstore or related Android apps from the Microsoft Store.
It’s a surprising move after Microsoft has continuously updated its Windows subsystem for Android over the past few years. Amazon says it will work with Microsoft to provide a “smooth support experience for developers and users of the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.” “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 the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is completely retired,” Amazon says.
Android apps on Windows 11 originally looked like Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s advances with its M1 chips and running iOS apps on macOS. Microsoft has partnered with Amazon, but without official access to the Google Play Store, it’s always been a bad experience if you just wanted to easily download popular Android apps to Windows. That’s probably a big part of why Microsoft decided to simply ditch its Android apps on Windows 11.