Three years ago, Microsoft had this radical idea. It saw what Apple was doing with iOS apps and wanted a piece of that action. So, it partnered with Amazon and decided to make Android apps available on the new Windows 11 operating system. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’ll have the staying power.
Tuesday, Microsoft surprised everyone when it announced that it will be ending support for the Android subsystem.
For those not in the know, the Windows subsystem was like a baseline virtual machine that can run a small operating system to do specific tasks. This was introduced seven years ago when Microsoft released Windows Subsystem for Linux. This allows developers to run a Linux environment on Windows without having to set up one themselves. It’s something I’ve used as a Linux system administrator when I have to use a Windows machine for work. I still use it today to maintain Linux machines for MajorsHouse.
Microsoft created a similar system that ran Android. As mentioned before, they partnered with Amazon to include Android apps from the Amazon Appstore. This might have been Microsoft’s biggest problem. Without having something like the Google Play Store, the experience wasn’t going to be all that great. Amazon’s store will leave you lacking. Also, with Google having Google Play Games available for Windows, Google doesn’t have much of an incentive to work with Microsoft on its project.
With all that being said, the Windows Subsystem for Android wil be shutting down completely on March 5, 2025. As of today, you can no longer search for the Amazon Appstore or any other Android apps from the Microsoft Store. Developers also can no longer submit new apps. They will still be able to provide updates for existing apps which means users can still use and get app updates until everything shuts down.
It is unfortunate to see something like this go away. I think it was a better solution to what Bluestacks offered users. But, at least you still have it.
Source: The Verge
