So why kill it off? Security vector? No one using it? No way to monetize it? Support nightmare? Natella got bored with it? All of the above?
I’m leaning more on nobody using it. Didn’t help that they partnered with Amazon for it.
And it’s also not publicly available for everyone.
Could be because, iirc, Amazon is starting to move away from Android.
But third party app stores are so popular!
I never even knew this was a thing until now.
And by default, it’s only available on 11. What percentage if the user base has switched.
You can run WSA on Win10, there’s a github for it.
Doesn’t help either, that most Android apps are designed for touch screens and most windows machines don’t have one.
Also, when I tried it it was somewhat slow.
Lol, I didn’t even know that this feature exists.
Waydroid looking good
That’s a fair point. Maybe WSL2+Wayland+Waydroid does the trick and whatever they do is just duplication of effort.
They might as well; it’s not great and it’s not easy to use.
You have to log into your phone every single time. The only reason I would want to use Android apps on a laptop is bc the phone is upstairs and I’m downstairs on the laptop.
The only workaround for this is to completely wonk around with the coding on the backend. Also, outside of a handful of games, the bulk of apps are trash and have better Windows non-store alternatives.
Not sure if they were trying to harmonize Android with Windows in the way that Apple products are made, but the whole thing has been executed as a huge mess.
So audible is going to have no windows client then I guess
You can stream it from their website
So they are not pulling the feature from Windows right? We will still be able to side load?
If you currently use Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, then you’ll continue to have access to these past the support cutoff date, but you won’t be able to download any new ones once Microsoft makes its Android subsystem end of life next year. On March 6th (tomorrow), Windows 11 users will no longer be able to search for Amazon Appstore or associated Android apps from the Microsoft Store.
I have not looked for stats but I’d love to see what the actual usage of the Microsoft Store is. I know I have never found a use for it and went as far as disabling the MS Store via GPO because I got tired of seeing it and for learning experience.
I have never found a reason, for myself, where I would need to use the MS Store… ever.
Meh, there are a few decent apps on there I use where the distribution is easier or solely through the MS Store. EarTrumpet for better audio management from the taskbar, PaintDotNet, Custom Context Menu for Win11 to add context menu entries. Maybe a few others. It’s not something I open often but it’s not entirely without use. It would probably be better if it wasn’t full of garbage apps/books/etc
I have rarely used it.
I used it for some Microsoft product that you had to buy to be able to view the thumbnails of iPhone pictures natively in Windows Explorer.
I also used it for setting up WSL with Ubuntu or some other Linux Distro.
not sure about the android stuff but MS store has good functionality in certain instances. For example, if you have a Bluetooth xbox controller that’s acting up you can use the Microsoft Xbox controller app to sort it out really easily/intuitively.
Also works great for getting subsystem for Linux OS installs without a lot of fuss provided your machine is capable.
For example, if you have a Bluetooth xbox controller that’s acting up you can use the Microsoft Xbox controller app to sort it out really easily/intuitively.
Just did that this week to get a new controller set up with my Steamdeck, works great.
That doesn’t answer the question. Sure we will be able to use them past the cutoff date but do they have plans to remove the subsystem in the future through an update?
My prediction is “probably yes”, given the other nonsense they’ve done.
I’ve been using Windows 11 at work for a couple years now, and completely forgot that this was supposed to be a feature.
Nobody using W11 I guess.
Boo!
That was the only feature 11 had that almost made me switch. Guess I’ll never use it now.
You can run it on Win10. Works fine. There’s a github for it. Let me go find it.
Dont worry, I tried it and it’s not well thought out. After taking an absurd amount of time to set up, it only works with the amazon store or sketchy 3rd party tools to let you side load.
It’d be a lot better if the paired up with Google play store, so purchased apps actually transfer and allowed side loading out of the box.
