Are you interested in running Android apps on Windows 11?

[Bla1ze]

Was anyone really asking for this? Hopefully sideloaded apps can be run because the Amazon App store is well, not the greatest.- https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-announces-windows-11-will-be-able-run-android-apps

 

[KJW23]

I agree with that but but they are working on Windows 11 mobile.

 

[Sharp Ninja]

Originally posted by Bla1ze
Was anyone really asking for this? Hopefully sideloaded apps can be run because the Amazon App store is well, not the greatest.- https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-announces-windows-11-will-be-able-run-android-apps

Definitely want this for multiple reasons, not just games but also this makes a Surface much more appealing because there would no longer to be ANY reason to buy an Android tablet because you get a better OS with not only mobile-centric offerings, but rich applications that can do real work. This is really an iPad Pro killer too because where Apple has been trying to muscle into the Surface wheel house, this will push back hard on the idea of using an iPad instead of a Surface.

 

[me just saying]

newer samsung phones will run installed android apps using DeX.

 

[Drael646464]

It depends on the user. I use PWA's all the time, and have installed many apps from the windows store. Some users still prefer to do everything out of the browser. There will likely be 3-6 android apps I find worthy of having on my PC.

 

[TechFreak1]

@Bla1ze I'm curious about this question myself. Most folks probably know my stance of Android apps on W11 by now lol so I'll refrain from posting anything here. Tldr, I want to see what the community thinks about it as well.

 

[Drael646464]

Outside of whether it's useful to me, I think it's an extremely clever move. Amazon app store development will increase with a larger userbase. Between amazon, and windows, the userbase is then big enough to justify avoiding play services where viable for android developers.

And between that, UWPs and PWAs, you have a pathway to scalable touch friendly and mobile apps on windows - a bridge between desktop, and other form factors.

Unlike blackberry, windows has it's own moat around creator tools and gaming. Ceding the short term battle to 'whatever works' for now, could set Windows up as the 'operating system that can run everything', and kill some of the competition longer term.

In one sense, being a crossroads - a place where you can use whichever type of app. In another making new form factors possible - like a new mobile phone, a smaller foldable, or something more like hololens as a consumer product. Things where the app gap would be nearly impossible to cross merely by trying to seed development, or using enterprise or betas.

 

[Drael646464]

Was anyone really asking for this? Hopefully sideloaded apps can be run because the Amazon App store is well, not the greatest.- https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-announces-windows-11-will-be-able-run-android-apps

The issue with sideloading is, well - almost every app that doesn't have google play dependancies will be on the amazon app store. If it's not there, odds are it has dependencies. A few open source gems on fdroid really being the only exception.

If you try and run something with these dependencies, the app itself will object. This is how google turned an open source project essentially proprietary.

Blackberry folks used to strip some of the dependencies, or in later days, even spoof them. This works for actually the majority of apps, that don't strictly need the services for most of their functionality. But I imagine it'll be awhile before people start doing that on windows 11.

However one of the reasons amazon app store is limited, is that it's a limited userbase. It's effort to avoid googles useful internal services (maps for eg), for a limited audience in terms of userbase. Windows 11 changes that. Windows is not, remotely, a limited audience/userbase. Between windows and amazon devices, they have enough ready users to justify the development effort of bringing more major projects to the store.

Therein lies the charm of the alliance. In draws more developers away from googles charming net.