In a surprising move, Microsoft has announced that it is killing off its support for Android apps within Windows 11 just three years after gaining official support for Android apps thanks to WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android).
According to a document report from the tech giant: “Microsoft is ending support for WSA. As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent supported on WSA will no longer function beginning March 5, 2025. Until then, technical support will remain available to customers.”
Amazon also released their own statement clarifying the situation as the multinational corporation stated: “Customers may continue using Amazon Appstore apps that they previously installed and will still be able to receive app updates after March 6. Developers will no longer be able to submit new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024. However, developers with an existing app can continue to submit app updates until Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 fully discontinues.”
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WSA to Lose Official Android App Support in 2025 After Low Usage
While Microsoft chose not to disclose why they are killing off its WSA, it is not hard to guess that it has something to do with its subpar performance and low usage. For example, WSA supposedly was Microsoft’s response to Apple’s progression with its M1 chips and running iOS apps on macOS or third-party apps with their latest 17.4 update.
However, as the tech giant does not have official access to Google’s Play Store, users had to download apps from Amazon’s Appstore, which felt like a knockoff. Andrew Cunningham, a senior reporter at Ars Technica, also agreed with this take as he wrote: “The WSA, while a convenient way to run Android apps on Windows, was limited from the start thanks to its inability to access the Google Play Store. The Amazon Appstore had a smaller selection, doubtless driving users in many cases to native Windows or web-based versions of apps they could’ve installed through the WSA.”
To cut a long story short, it seemed imminent that WSA would fail even with Microsoft continually updating its WSA over the past few years. Furthermore, with tech giants’ priority shifting towards the development of AI tools, it was the right time for Microsoft to discard their low usage and poor-performing WSA.
Windows 11 Has 2x Less Users Than Windows 10
Besides killing off WSA, Microsoft is facing a big issue with its Windows 11, as Windows 10 will be reaching its end of life on October 14, 2025. As for the problem in question, despite Windows 11 launching three years ago, it still has less than double the users on Windows 10.
According to a recent report by Windows Central, 67.26% of users still use Windows 10, whereas Windows 11’s user base sits at 28.16%. An even more worrying trend is the pace of users shifting from Windows 10 to Windows 11. For example, only about 6% of Windows 10’s users have migrated to Windows 11 in 2023.
Forcefully shifting users to Windows 11 is also not an option for Microsoft. Thus, what lies behind the underlying problem? Firstly, Windows 11 has a strict hardware requirement, which requires your processor to have TPM 2.0 or else it will fail to upgrade.
Another drawback for people using Windows 11 is that it lacks innovation. For instance, other than a few things like Snap Layouts, Windows 11 is simply parroting Chrome OS and macOS, meaning the improvements in Windows 11 might not be substantial enough to warrant the hassle and potential cost of upgrading from a stable Windows 10 system.
Related: Windows 12 Released Date Hinted by Intel Executive David Zinsner
What’s Next for Microsoft Windows?
Despite Microsoft killing off WSA, it does not necessarily mean the tech giant is ditching Android. For example, they recently announced a feature allowing Android users to use their device’s camera as a webcam on Windows 11.
In addition, Microsoft announced eight upgraded and new features arriving in Windows 11 in its March 2024 update. To learn more information regarding this, click our link here.
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