One of Windows 11‘s biggest features was omitted from the OS’ initial launch: the ability to run Android apps that you can install right from the Microsoft Store.
That highly anticipated feature is finally showing signs of life, albeit in a very limited form. The ‘Windows Subsystem for Android‘ is now rolling out to Windows Insiders on the beta channel, allowing them to downloads apps from the Amazon Appstore, which is embedded into the Microsoft Store. Similar to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, the Android subsystem will run in a Hyper-V Virtual machine.
If you have a compatible system — it works with Intel and AMD as well as ARM processors — simply open up the Microsoft Store, and you should be able to see the new Android apps. These seem to be integrated pretty tightly with Windows. Microsoft says you’ll be able to interact with app notifications right from the Windows Action Center, Snap to a side of your monitor, pin them to the taskbar, and interact via mouse, touch, or pen.
Unfortunately, the selection is very limited to start, at just 50 apps. These include Amazon’s Kindle app, Khan Academy Kids, and a handful of games and apps for kids. It’s only a matter until more apps show up though; it’s one of the most exciting features to come to Windows in a long time.
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