Microsoft had a surprise to share during the Windows 11 launch event– support for Android apps.
The company showcased app compatibility by running a live instance of TikTok on stage.
Now, running Android apps on Windows 11 PCs may sound cool but in reality it may not be that exciting.
The reason is simple.
Just because Windows 11 will support certain apps doesn’t mean you will get access to the entire range of Android apps hosted by Google on the Google Play store.
In fact, Google has nothing to do with Windows 11’s Android app compatibility.
So, how is Microsoft providing support for Android apps without taking Google’s help? The answer is simple– integrating a third party app store.
For Windows 11, Microsoft has partnered with Amazon.
This will enable Windows 11 users to access Android apps through the Amazon App store.
While it’s a big step for Microsoft to provide Android app support for the first time on PC it will not be something that will blow you away.
This is because the experience will be more like using an Android phone without Google Play store and Google’s services.
It is the same reason as to why you may not want to buy a Huawei phone running HarmonyOS and relying on a third-party Android app store.
Using the Amazon App store for Android apps on Windows 11 PCs means that you will not have access to the entire range of popular Android apps.
So, there are chances that your favourite Android apps and games may not be available on Windows 11 PC.
Also, there is no clarity yet as to what kind of apps and how many apps will be available on Microsoft’s new app store for Windows 11.
Microsoft is bringing Android apps to Windows: How they will workAmazon in a blog post said, “The initial Amazon Appstore selection will be available to Windows customers later this year.
We will have more to share in the future about how you can make your app available to Windows customers.” While you can be sure to find all Amazon apps on the new Microsoft app store, little is known about what else will be available and how these apps will perform.
Amazon being the partner for Microsoft’s app store means that there’s no chance to get Google’s support or involvement of any kind.
Having said that, the good thing is that all x86 platforms along with AMD and ARM-based devices will offer support for running Android apps on Windows 11.
Also, there’s a possibility that you may be able to install Android APK files as well but little is known as of now as to how these Android apps will function.