Another week, another Microsoft feature gathering dust – support for Android apps and games on Windows is becoming increasingly important. Starting next year, users will need an alternative third-party solution to run Android apps on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
This is because the official Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), the official Microsoft app that allows Windows 11 to natively run Android apps, will no longer be supported and Windows users will not be able to access the Amazon Appstore directly on Windows. Support for WSA is scheduled to end this time next year, March 5, 2025.
This news appeared in a notice added to the technical documentation for the Windows Subsystem for Android. In this notice, Microsoft states that users can expect access to all Android apps they installed this way (and from the Amazon Appstore) until the date when support is completely discontinued.
According to Android Authority, after March 5, 2025, users will not be able to access any Android apps that rely on WSA. It also seems reasonable to assume that after this date, users will not be able to install the WSA app or install new Android apps from the Amazon store.
The upcoming reality for Android app lovers
If you want to use an app that isn’t on the way to being discontinued, or you’re looking for a replacement when March 5, 2025 comes around, you can turn to unofficial third-party apps that will let you run Android apps on Windows.
If you’re only interested in Android games, there’s Google’s official solution, Google Play Games, which lets you play hundreds of Android games on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Google Play Games is still in beta, but you can download it from the official website.
The death of WSA is very disappointing news from Microsoft and takes away options for how users can use their PCs, which is likely a move made in the name of limiting the visibility of competitors within Microsoft’s flagship operating system. This is solely in Microsoft’s interest and comes at the expense of user choice, and will force users who want to run Android apps to find workarounds. One of the main advantages of Windows over competitors like ChromeOS and macOS is the flexibility and adaptability of the operating system, and moves like this only serve to eliminate that selling point.
I guess Microsoft is hoping this might drive those users to the Microsoft Store and consider getting Microsoft-published apps instead, but the Microsoft Store’s offerings are lacking. I hope Microsoft has significant plans to improve the Microsoft Store if they want to take away what was largely considered a stable (and more or less simple) platform that expanded the apps available to users by a significant amount.