There are still some compromises to make, but you can finally use Android apps on Windows 11 right away: here’s how
Unannounced in June and long awaited, Microsoft has finally announced the ability to use Android apps on Windows 11. The new operating system from Redmond therefore offers customers the opportunity to have the same experience on PCs that you get on Android smartphones, only “bigger”.
For many it can be an opportunity to seize, especially if you work with your PC and diverting your attention to interact with your smartphone is distracting and slows down the workflow. Now this limitation is partially dropped. “Partially” because at the moment there are several compromises to be accepted in order to use Android apps on Windows 11: the feature is not yet for everyone, it’s in preview for those who use the beta version of the new operating system. It will come soon for everyone, but at the moment you have to make some compromises. Here’s what and how to use Android apps on Windows 11 right away.
Current limitations of Android apps on Windows 11
The ability to launch Android apps on Microsoft’s new operating system was one of the least expected and therefore most surprising Windows 11 novelties at the time it was announced. However, there are, as mentioned, some clarifications to be made.
The first one: for the moment it is not possible to download apps from the world’s most famous virtual store, i.e. Google’s Play Store, the one preinstalled on every Android smartphone. It’s not clear yet if this limitation will be removed in the future, but for the moment the Android apps you can install on Windows 11 are the ones on the Amazon Appstore, an analogue of Google’s store but managed, intuitively, by Amazon, which has enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Microsoft.
This is a virtual store well stocked with apps, but at the moment it can’t hold a candle to the Google Play Store in terms of variety and number of apps, yet it’s assorted enough to allow anyone to find most of the apps they consider essential. However, for the moment – another limitation – of the thousands of apps on the Amazon App Store only about fifty can be installed on a Windows 11 PC: it’s the compromise to accept to install apps on Windows in preview. However, Microsoft promised that in the coming months compatibility will be extended.
Finally, the third limitation. To use Android apps on Windows 11, at the moment, you need to be accredited as a developer, i.e. join the Windows Insider program that, moreover, allows you to preview new Windows versions. The same Windows 11 announced in June was distributed almost immediately to Windows Insiders, who were able to try it long before it became available to the general public, that is last October 5. Signing up as a Windows Insider is free and can be done through Microsoft’s portal.
Using Android apps on Windows 11 preview
Despite the current limitations on those who want to use Android apps on Windows 11, Windows Insiders need to access the beta channel and select the US as their country of residence, which implies that you need to have a US Amazon account to do so.
Having done that you can get Android apps on Windows 11 by installing the Android for Windows subsystem directly from the Microsoft Store.