Android applications are finally coming to Windows operating system. At a special Windows event, the software giant announced Windows 11 operating system and has revealed that the system will natively run Android apps.
The Android apps on Windows 11 operating system will be available through Amazon’s Appstore. Applications will be listed in the new Windows Store and can be pinned to the taskbar or snapped alongside traditional Windows apps.
Microsoft is also partnering with Intel to use its Intel Bridge technology to make this a reality, although the Android apps will still work with both AMD and Arm-based systems. It seems that the Redmond-based tech giant is taking on Apple with this.
Recently, Apple started transitioning from Intel-based chips to Apple Silicon chips, starting with the M1 chipset. It also brings support for iOS apps to macOS. Now, Windows too comes with native support for running Android applications.
As of now, it is not clear how well many existing devices will support Android apps with Windows 11, as Microsoft is pushing its support of Intel Bridge technology as the favored way to run these apps.
Microsoft has been planning to offer support for using existing Android apps since 2015 as a part of Project Astoria. It was a method to try to convince developers to port apps and make it easier to do so. But the plan didn’t last for long, with Microsoft admitting that having “two bridge technologies to bring code from mobile operating systems to Windows was unnecessary.”
Currently, Android applications are available to use on Windows 10 operating system through the Your Phone app that was rolled out last year by Microsoft. Apart from the app’s support, Windows 11 will also introduce a prettified version of desktop widgets, new Xbox gaming features, and much more.
Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the official release date for Windows 11 to the general public, but we do know it’ll be available this holiday season. It will be available as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs.
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