- The Windows Subsystem for Android is no longer in preview but Microsoft has been rather quiet about it.
- The ability to run Android apps via the Amazon App Store is limited to 31 markets.
- There is no word on when the Windows Subsystem for Android will roll out to a wider audience.
The marquee feature of Windows 11 was its ability to run Android applications just like every other Windows application.
Unfortunately, this feature wasn’t available at release and for most of this year, the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) has been available exclusively through the Windows Insider Programme. This week, however, Microsoft brought the feature out of preview and released version 1.0.
Microsoft has been rather quiet about this release though. The only reason we know about it is because of Cory Hendrixson, development manager for the Windows Subsystem for Android.
Windows Subsystem for Android is officially v1. 31 markets and over 50,000 apps! The amazing thing is just how pedestrian it is to run these apps. They feel like running a normal windows app… WAPost, Kindle Reader (on my SurfaceGo3), and Subway surfer are my favs. pic.twitter.com/jBu1KkMqFj
— Cory Hendrixson (@chendrixson) October 18, 2022
While Microsoft did publish a blog post about an update for WSA, that update is for Windows Insiders and there is no mention of version 1.0 of the software rolling out.
In addition, while WSA is now available out of preview, it’s not exactly widely available. The list of supported countries and regions is limited to:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Canada
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Cook Islands
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Guernsey
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Italy
- Japan
- Jersey
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- San Marino
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Tokelau
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Vatican City
Even if you happen to be in one of those regions, the apps available are limited to those on Amazon’s App Store. According to a report from The Register, missing apps include WhatsApp, Slack, government apps and more.
“In fact it’s tough work to find apps other than games in the store – and when a search term does bear fruit it delivers what looks like knockoff apps that scream ‘here be dragons’,” reports The Register’s Simon Sharwood.
Running apps can also reportedly be a buggy experience and app developers will need to make some adjustments to have apps meant for touch displays, working with a keyboard and mouse.
We just have to wait for Microsoft to roll this functionality out to more countries. There are still a number of features that need to be added including Hardware DRM, Widgets, file transfer and Direct Bluetooth access. You can see the roadmap and follow development over on the official GitHub page.
While we’re waiting on the ability to run Android games on our desktop, Microsoft really needs to take a hard look at Windows 11 as a whole. Analysis from Lansweeper released earlier this month revealed that as many as 42.74 percent of business workstations don’t support the operating system. With Windows 10’s end of life on the horizon, we have to start wondering whether Windows 11 will be fully functional by that point.
