Windows 11 coming October 5, but won’t include Android app support
Along with being one of the most ambitious UI Design changes since Windows 8, Microsoft was hoping to have an ace up its sleeve as it announced Android app support with Windows 11. This was expected to be a huge game-changer, even though Microsoft was working with Intel and Amazon, and not Google, to bring apps to the desktop. Unfortunately, it seems that this functionality just isn’t going to be ready in time for the release of Windows 11.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will be officially released on October 5. The software will arrive as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 computers, and it’s around this time that the first PCs with Windows 11 pre-installed will begin to ship.
Tucked away amongst the “11 highlights of this release”, Microsoft revealed what some had been worried about:
We look forward to continuing our journey to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store through our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this will start with a preview for Windows Insiders over the coming months.
Of course, Microsoft doesn’t explicitly state why the ability to download Android apps on Windows is being delayed. However, it could have something to do with either the Amazon App Store or Intel’s bridge technology that allows ARM apps to run on desktop platforms. This is all part of Microsoft’s new “Windows Subsystem for Android”, but it’s rather disappointing to see the functionality delayed.
We have been hoping to see the ability to download Android apps on Windows 11 through the Insider Previews, but up to this point, it has not arrived. Meanwhile, Microsoft is still full-steam ahead in its push to deliver Windows 11 in just over a month. Hopefully, this decision allows Microsoft to go back to the drawing board and make sure that integration is flawless, instead of shipping a half-baked solution.