Android apps come to the Microsoft Store in Windows 11 via the Amazon App Store

By Arif Bacchus Published June 24, 2021

At the June 24 Microsoft event, Microsoft confirmed what was long believed to be true. Windows 11 will support Android apps via the Amazon App Store. The apps have the ability to be locally installed and will function without the need for a smartphone, appearing native in your Taskbar and Start Menu.

Microsoft didn’t share many details, but rumors had indicated that the feature could be powered by the Windows Subsystem for Linux. All Android apps that are compatible with Windows 11 will show up in a special section in the Microsoft Store.

android apps in app store on windows 11 - Tiktok — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft showcased a screenshot showing apps that can run on Windows 11, and the TikTok app is one of them. The app is able to resize, can be dragged around to a mobile view, and doesn’t appear to run full-screen.

Recommended Videos

This is similar to the behavior in the Your Phone app, where you are able to sync apps from select Samsung phones through Wi-Fi and the local network. The difference here is that things are now running natively, independent of phones and other devices.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other than support for Android apps, Microsoft mentioned that the new Microsoft Store on Windows 11 will be more of an open storefront. The store will support all kinds of different apps, including Win32, UWP, and PWA. This means that you’ll be able to find apps like Google Chrome in the Microsoft Store and won’t have to depend on going on the internet to download Win32 apps from other sources.

Microsoft even showcased some new apps in the Microsoft Store in Windows 11. The list includes Disney+, as well as Adobe Creative Cloud. Intel worked together with Microsoft on the technology, and Intel’s bridge technology will bring the apps to life to create a more seamless experience.

As a shot at Apple, Microsoft even announced that apps can have their own commerce engine where developers can take home all the revenue without a cut for Microsoft.

It’s not clear when this feature will come to everyone for testing, but it’s likely to be available once Windows 11 hits general availability in the fall. Microsoft will need to test the feature via the Windows Insider program before launching it to the general public. So be on the lookout for more updates soon.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…

Computing

Another annoying bug is spoiling the fun in Windows 11 24H2

The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

The latest big update to Windows 11 has already caused its fair share of headaches. This time the trouble is with File Explorer. A new bug makes it difficult to open the File Explorer app as it makes the menu appear outside the screen, Windows Latest reports.

The latest bug impacts the "See more" menu, making it practically impossible to access when you select the ellipses. Instead, it only shows you a few of the available options. This error usually appears when you use File Explorer in full screen. When you're able to see all the options in the "See more" menu, you'll see options such as:

Computing

Gamers are finally flocking to Windows 11 after 3 years

Spider-man running on the Asus ROG PG42UQG.

Windows 11 is getting a lot more popular lately. In the latest Steam hardware survey, Valve clocked that 51.97% of its user base is now using Windows 11, which is a 4.28% increase compared to last month and the highest share the operating system has ever seen, despite being readily available for over three years.

Windows 10, the second-most popular operating system on Steam, fell by 2.71%, and now makes up 45.95% of the users Valve surveyed. Just a couple of months ago, when Valve released its August survey results, Windows 11 overtook Windows 10 for the first time in the hardware survey. The gap is only widening now, with the share lost by Windows 10 going almost directly to Windows 11. Earlier this year, Windows 11 adoption was actually down on the Steam hardware survey, with some claiming that Windows 10 offered better gaming performance.

Computing

You have one year to safely use Windows 10 before you’ll need to pay

Microsoft will be allowing consumers to join its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for the first time next year, and it announced the program pricing today in a blog post. The official end-of-service date for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025, but by paying $30 to join the ESU program, you can receive an extra year of security updates. This will allow you to continue safely using Windows 10 until around October 2026, a full two years from now.

By the time support for Windows 10 ends, it will be almost exactly four years since Windows 11 launched and a decade since Windows 10 launched. It takes a lot of work to keep an operating system secure and running smoothly, which is why a company like Microsoft can't just endlessly support every version of Windows it's ever shipped. It would end up costing a lot more money than it made -- and that's not how businesses function.