Microsoft has announced that it is ending support for running Android apps on Windows 11. Support will end next year. This announcement was soon followed by Amazon announcing the end of the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.
The Windows for Android subsystem allows Windows 11 devices to run Android apps that are available in the Amazon Appstore. Google Play cannot be used with non-Android devices, so Windows users installed apps through the Amazon Appstore.
News of the removal was posted on Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) documentation site. A notice has been added to this sentence:
“Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). 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.”
There was no further information on what prompted the change, which comes 18 months after the WSA was introduced. Amazon then followed suit, but provided a date for when things are changing, saying:
“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.
Starting March 6, 2024, Windows 11 users will not be able to search the Amazon Appstore or related apps from the Microsoft Store. Customers can continue to use the Amazon Appstore apps they previously installed and will still be able to receive app updates.”
Amazon said in an email to Appstore users that it will continue to be available and supported on Fire TV, Fire Tablet and Android devices.
The decision to end support for Android apps on Windows is likely prompted by the lukewarm reception the service has received since its launch, along with the low number of apps being used. The main losers are developers who invested in having their applications run under the system.
The real question is why?
Clearly, the ability to run Android apps on Windows is a plus for its users and Microsoft has put some effort into making it possible. Removing it seems like it would save little and make things worse for those who use it. Could it be that there are so few users that even this effort is not worth it, or is there a deeper Microsoft conspiracy at work that we simply haven’t noticed. Whatever the reason, it’s another example of the dangers of relying on a feature or API of a system you don’t own.
More information
Windows Subsystem Documentation for Android
Amazon Appstore Notification
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