Microsoft is discontinuing support for Android applications on Windows. The business announced that it will no longer be supporting Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), which is what powers the Windows 11 Amazon App Store in addition to other Android apps. Microsoft said to Engadget that it was reacting to the “evolving needs of customers.”
Microsoft initially declared in 2021 that Android apps would operate on Windows 11. Users could install the Amazon App Store when it launched the next year, and the Microsoft Store carried a few specific Android apps. The release was seen as a response to the two dangers posed by iOS software on Apple Silicon Macs and Android apps on Chromebooks.
A Microsoft spokesperson clarified to Engadget why it’s now terminating the feature. “As part of our commitment to meeting evolving customer needs, we periodically update our product offerings,” they said. “This involves introducing new technical innovations and retiring products. Microsoft remains dedicated to an open platform and ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing to bring the best experiences and apps to Windows.”
With Microsoft blazing full-tilt into all things AI, it may now see its past attempts at making Windows a dramatically better touch-focused platform as no longer worth the resources. Another possibility, as The Verge speculates, is that people hunting for Android apps on Windows expected the full Google Play Store experience — not Amazon’s variant, which has an inferior overall selection.
Microsoft says customers who installed the Amazon App Store (or other apps and games using WSA) on their Windows 11 machines before Tuesday can keep using them until March 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Amazon clarified that its App Store and associate apps will no longer be discoverable in the Microsoft Store beginning on Wednesday. In addition, developers can no longer submit new apps for the Amazon App Store on Windows, but those with existing ones can continue to submit updates for them until this time next year.
As for what’s next for Microsoft, the company is rumored to launch new Surface devices on March 21. The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected, with the company possibly marketing them as its first AI PCs.
