Microsoft’s Windows 11 is set to lose official support for Android apps, resulting in the discontinuation of the Windows Subsystem for Android.
Microsoft has announced its plan to cease WSA maintenance within the year. Although Windows 11 users with the Amazon Appstore or Android apps already installed will retain access until March 5, 2025, new users won’t be able to download the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store starting Thursday.
“Customers may continue using Amazon Appstore apps that they previously installed and will still be able to receive app updates [after March 6],” Amazon wrote in a blog post.
“Developers will no longer be able to submit net new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024, but developers with an existing app can continue to submit app updates until Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is fully discontinued.”
As Ars Technica’s Andrew Cunningham notes, the WSA, while a convenient way to run Android apps on Windows, was limited from the start thanks to its inability to access the Google Play Store, the official Android app store — at least not without workarounds.
Now, just because Microsoft is ending support for the WSA doesn’t mean it’ll become impossible to run Android apps on Windows. A number of third-party alternatives exist, including Waydroid, which provides support for Android apps via Linux-based system containers, and BlueStacks, an Android emulator for Windows and macOS.
Amazon clarified that existing users could continue using previously installed Amazon Appstore apps and receive updates post-March 6. However, developers won’t be able to submit new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024. Despite the end of WSA support, third-party alternatives like Waydroid and BlueStacks offer options for running Android apps on Windows.
Ars Technica’s Andrew Cunningham highlighted WSA’s limitations from the beginning, notably its inability to access the Google Play Store without workarounds. While Microsoft’s discontinuation of WSA support marks the end of its official Android app integration, alternative methods will remain available for users seeking to run Android apps on Windows.
In 2021, Windows 11 initially gained official support for Android apps through WSA, allowing users to install and run a broad range of Android apps, including those from Amazon’s Appstore.
