The news that Microsoft will end support for Android apps in Windows 11 next year came as a bolt out of the blue. Moreover, the decision came into effect almost immediately, as it has no longer been possible to download new applications to the system since March 6, 2024, that is, Wednesday.
Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android️ (WSA). As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all apps and games that rely on WSA will no longer be supported as of March 5, 2025. Until then, technical support is still available to customers. Customers who installed Amazon Appstore or Android apps before March 5, 2024 will continue to access these apps until the expiration date of March 5, 2025.
– the company said in its statement. It is not yet known what may be behind the decision, but much faster than usual procedures lead to the conclusion that there may have been a dispute between Microsoft and Amazon that led to the end of cooperation.
Microsoft previously listed the ability to run Android apps as one of its most advertised Windows 11 features — which is why its decision was surprising, especially after it has been constantly updating it in recent years. Thanks to WSA, apps like TikTok or Snapchat are now available on Windows 11, but many people have used the feature to launch different streaming apps like HBO Max, which doesn't have a native Windows 11 app.
Managing smart home applications on PCs and transferring various phone games to PCs were also popular.
This was their response to Apple's move
Back in 2020, with macOS Big Sur, Apple introduced the ability to run iOS and iPadOS applications on Macs equipped with self-developed M-series chips, which was particularly successful – developers could do without making their software available to a completely new user a rule that they had to do. Anything with it. Seeing this, Microsoft was able to introduce the functionality into Windows 11, which debuted a year later — but at some point it bled out.
As mentioned earlier, the company was only able to cooperate with Amazon, so Android apps could only be downloaded from the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11, which had a limited offer. As you know, Google Play is the default app store on Android devices, but Microsoft certainly couldn't form a union with Google, which is why they ended up with Amazon.
The match has already been drawn on other occasions
However, this isn't the first time Microsoft has blown a fuse with users in recent months — the last time it angered the Windows 11 camp was when an update sent out in January 2023 suddenly displayed a watermark saying “System requirements are not met” in the lower right corner. from the screen.
As it turned out later, the culprit was the dedicated security processor, that is, the TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) chip – more precisely the lack of it – which is used by services like BitLocker or Windows Hello. As is known, Microsoft considered its presence necessary to install Windows 11, which is why most computers have not been able to upgrade to the latest version of Windows for a long time.
However, it was possible to use tricks to make the installer ignore the lack of a security chip, so Windows 11 could also be installed on older devices – however, Microsoft did not appreciate the ingenuity of users at all, so it decided to punish them.
(Cover image: Beata Zorzel/Noor Photo via Getty Images)
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