All apps have a common purpose, no matter what platform you use them on. While apps built for a particular form factor and screen size have advantages for the users of that ecosystem, denying people the freedom to run apps at whatever screen size they want doesn’t sit well with me.
I had that feeling when Microsoft ended support for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) four years after launching it and put Android app support on Windows 11 to rest. As a user, I’m not concerned about why or what Microsoft gains or loses from this move. I’m more worried about being unable to use Android apps as seamlessly as I could on my PC. Here are the five reasons I’ll miss Android apps on Windows 11.
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Same, same, but different
Mobile phones and PCs are purpose-built to achieve different goals, and that’s part of the reason why Android apps behave and do things differently than their desktop counterparts. While the difference wasn’t supposed to put either device category at a disadvantage, the ubiquitousness of mobile phones forced developers to focus on building apps specific to those types of devices. While many of those missing apps are now available on Windows 11, the desktop clients aren’t as feature-rich as their Android ones.
You don’t have to look further than some widely popular Android apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Netflix. The WhatsApp desktop app is not on par with its Android version in terms of the number of features it offers. For example, the WhatsApp desktop, a native Windows app, doesn’t allow post status updates.
To be fair to the developers, many of the missing features are more convenient to use on smartphones than on desktops. This might be why they aren’t added to desktop apps and fail to match their Android equivalent. Android app support for Windows 11 was a win-win for developers and users because I got more functional Android apps on my PC, and developers got more installations without extra effort.
The situation is worse for non-native apps on Windows 11. Netflix is an interesting case because the streaming giant replaced its native app, which wasn’t great, with a progressive web app on Windows in 2024. As a result of this transition, I lost the ability to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing. Windows 11’s Netflix Android app would’ve given a way out of this problem.
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4 A double blow for gamers and smart home users in Windows 11
No game, no gain
Microsoft’s Windows Phone suffered a heavy defeat against iPhone and Android phones and eventually disappeared from the market. The lack of apps was one factor behind its demise. Although at a slow pace, the app situation improved in Windows over the last few years. However, it’s still no match for the number of apps available for Android. There is an app for everything, from educational content to entertainment to smart home management.
Websites can replace apps and get the job done in many cases, such as learning something, entertainment, and ordering your favorite food items. While websites aren’t as feature-rich as apps, it’s always better to have something than nothing. However, when something essential is missing, you realize the impact, like I did when I couldn’t play the best Android games and control smart home devices from my Windows 11 PCs.
3 Solid integration with Windows 11
Android apps masquerade as desktop programs
The official way to run Android apps natively on Windows 11 was by using the Amazon Appstore, but you won’t find many names there. Instead, I sideloaded APKs on my PC. Either way, it’s hard to differentiate between Windows 11’s Android apps and desktop apps after the installation is complete. Such was the level of seamless integration.
Android apps could blend with other desktop apps because of native Windows 11 functionalities like support for Snap layouts, taskbar integration, and window management. I could easily snap a desktop app and an Android app side by side when needed. While limitations were there, such as heavy RAM consumption and lack of drag-and-drop support between Android apps and desktop apps, they came the closest to appearing and behaving like desktop apps. I was optimistic that things would get better from here.
2 Android apps work better on Windows touch PCs
Android apps and touch displays are a match made in heaven
My Lenovo Yoga 7i is a convertible laptop with a touch display, but Microsoft’s desktop OS isn’t the best-optimized OS to run in tablet mode, and neither do legacy desktop apps. You’ll notice the difference in Microsoft’s apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The UI elements appear tiny and placed tightly together, so much so that you can’t interact with them, feeling like going back to laptop mode.
Android apps, on the other hand, have the opposite problem. They work great on touch-based systems but give you a hard time on non-touch devices. When I use Yoga 7i as a tablet, I prefer Android apps over their desktop versions because the former has a touch-friendly UI, helping me get things done without the risk of touching the wrong button.
1 Alternative solutions fail to create the same magic
I want to look elsewhere, but no serious contender is in sight
Windows 11’s Android apps offered solid advantages for anyone looking to run them efficiently on their PCs. However, this isn’t the only way. Two popular ways to access Android apps on your PC are through emulators like BlueStacks and Microsoft’s Phone Link app. However, I don’t consider them superior alternatives to WSA.
One major problem with the Phone Link app is that it allows you to access only the apps installed on your phone. If that’s not bad enough, the ability to run Android apps through Phone Link is limited to select handsets from Samsung, Honor, Oppo, and Asus. So, when I move on from my Galaxy S21 and get one of the best Pixel phones, I no longer have the option to use Android apps on my PC through the app. Emulators like BlueStacks aren’t great alternatives, either.
For someone who cares only about running Android apps on PCs, emulators are more than sufficient. You can run all the Google Play Store apps that way, but it lacks the same level of integration WSA had with Windows 11, depriving you of features like the ability to pin individual Android apps to the taskbar. If you’re into Android games on Windows, Google Play Games for PC is another alternative, but it has a curated selection of titles. I’m not hopeful about its success because it’s up to developers whether they want to optimize games for Google Play Games for PC.
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I don’t have high hopes things will get better
As much as I would like to see Android app support return in Windows 11, Microsoft appears to have moved on and shifted its focus to AI. Google never showed interest in it, which is unlikely to change because the Mountain View tech giant is reportedly planning to replace ChromeOS with a desktop version of Android. A reboot in Google’s desktop strategy could mean better Android app support on its laptops to make them more appealing. Google would prefer to strengthen its ecosystem rather than let one of its major competitors ride the wave of its Play Store service.
