Microsoft is killing support for running Android apps on Windows 11

[rhodry4]

Did this feature even make it out of the US or whichever few select countries they rolled it out in? And then they make decisions like this because "nOt EnOuGh PeOpLe UsE iT". Whether it was genuinely useful or not, we don't know because MS only took half-measures with it since inception.

 

[GraniteStateColin]

I always thought this was a bad idea. Running the apps from a competing OS is never a good idea. It might be a short-term boost, but in the long run it will do more harm than good. IBM OS/2 taught us THAT lesson.

Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.

That is only an issue if developers use that as a reason not to make apps for the OS in question. I don't think it's likely that very many developers were considering building a Windows version of their app, then said, "Nah, they can use our Android app instead." On the other hand, that's exactly what happened with OS/2 and Windows 3.1 apps. However, even there, more important to the demise of OS/2, Windows 95 came out at about that same time, and Windows 95 32-bit apps did NOT run on OS/2 (only the older 16-bit Win 3.x apps).

The ubiquity of Windows as a desktop OS all but ensures this was not a danger for Windows development. Now, if they had done this back with Windows Phone, I think you'd have a point, but not for desktop OS, where the optimal UI for apps is quite different -- keyboard and mouse vs. small touchscreen.

 

[etoven]

Im a Android developer and wasn't even aware Microsoft even provided a tool. Needless to say this will effect no one and Google's tool is probably a hundred times better at emulation. Also they are getting ready to launch the store installer for x86 out of beta soon for native game performance.

 

[finsku]

I had to create an account to express how disappointed I am. I would use the feature, but it's only for W11.

It's likely that Microsoft is killing the Windows Subsystem for Android because not enough people use it.

Well not surprised if people doesn't use it or knows about this, because it's for W11 D

 

[TheFerrango]

Actually, there is a need for lightweight standalone apps, a space that widgets and PWAs are *not* filling but android apps do fill.

That would be the case if you didn't have to essentially spun up an Android VM to lauch your apps, which is what WSA does.
Yes the app itself may be lighter, but it's running on top of an HyperV VM that provides the "transparent" Android layer. That is if the app is not just an Android webapp, in which case you're running the resource-hogging browser on top of a VM.

 

[DontBeEvil10]

Thanks Nadella /s

 

[etoven]

There are x86 builds of android as well. I cloned the chromium git as a experment once and and got it working in kde running native performance by finding the shell executable and launching it. Took a bit of doing but finally got it to run. Seems to run just fine inside of x. Windows I have no idea but in theory it could work. Apk is just java with support libraries available.

 

[TechFreak1]

"The comparison to OS/2 doesn't really work"

I think you are missing my point. OS/2 ran Windows 3.1 apps so well - in fact, better than real Windows 3.1 - that no one bothered to create native OS/2 apps. Which helped to kill OS/2. By the time Windows 95 and NT 4 came along, OS/2 was dead.

So if there is a need for "lightweight standalone apps", and these can be had via Android emulation, who is going to bother to write a native Windows app/widget/PWA? Developers love nothing more than having less platforms to support, which means fewer app versions to support. Which means less headaches all around.

Again, running your competitor's apps is not a viable, long-term solution. It's actually an admission that you are in decline and are desperate for new apps. As more devs see that "I can get Android users and Windows users with a single Android app", the situation only gets worse over time. It creates a downward spiral that Windows does not need to be in.

Well, now you finally get it: "Again, running your competitor's apps is not a viable, long-term solution. It's actually an admission that you are in decline and are desperate for new apps. As more devs see that "I can get Android users and Windows users with a single Android app", the situation only gets worse over time. It creates a downward spiral that Windows does not need to be in."

Many of us have been arguing this point for years.

 

[etoven]

Seems like everyone is missing the point including yourself. The answer to who can write this app is google. They already did that long time ago and probably works 100x better then what this is. It's going away due to lack of interest. Nothing else.

 

[etoven]

That would be the case if you didn't have to essentially spun up an Android VM to lauch your apps, which is what WSA does.
Yes the app itself may be lighter, but it's running on top of an HyperV VM that provides the "transparent" Android layer. That is if the app is not just an Android webapp, in which case you're running the resource-hogging browser on top of a VM.

Im forced to wonder what exactly people think this is was if not a light weight vm. You can set up a launcher shortcut to do the same thing BTW Google's solution was already arguably more. It doesn't matter anyways native x86 support is already in the works and in beta. They probably killed it because Google was about to launch something better.