Key Takeaways
- Windows Subsystem for Android discontinued after March 5, 2025.
- Users enjoyed Android apps on Windows 11, now seeking alternatives.
- BlueStacks, MSI App Player, Phone Link app offer Android app solutions.
If you’ve been enjoying Android apps on Windows 11, get ready for some bad news. Microsoft has announced that, after a little over two years of it launching, the Windows Subsystem for Android is getting discontinued. Existing customers that have installed the Amazon Appstore before today can continue using it and their Android apps until the end of support on March 5th, 2025.
Windows 11: Everything you need to know
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A message on Microsoft’s support page for the Windows Subsystem for Android reads:
Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will no longer be supported beginning
March 5, 2025
. Until then, technical support will remain available to customers.
If you haven’t installed it already, the Windows Subsystem for Android is no longer available on the Microsoft Store starting today.
The end of one the most exciting features in Windows 11
Prior to the launch of Windows 11, it felt like support for Android apps was something users were really looking forward to, and when Microsoft finally announced official support on June 24, 2021, it was one of the most exciting parts of Windows 11. The Windows Subsystem for Android came with some caveats, namely the fact that it didn’t work with Google apps and instead relied on the Amazon Appstore, which is far more barren. This likely contributed to why the platform may not have gained as much traction as Microsoft would have hoped.
Still, the company delivered fairly consistent improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Android over the past few years, improving compatibility with PC hardware, fixing issues, enhancing security, and more. The decision to cut off support for the platform is somewhat sudden, and potentially surprising considering there is a market for running Android apps on Windows. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on why this decision is being made
There are still other solutions
Of course, if you do want to run Android apps on Windows, there are solutions out there to do exactly that, most of which predate the Windows Subsystem for Android. A popular choice is BlueStacks, an Android emulator that lets you run all kinds of apps and comes complete with support for Google apps, making it more compelling right off the bat.
Some PC manufacturers also offer their own solutions, with MSI using BlueStacks’ technology for the MSI App Player feature and Huawei offering its own Android integration for the same purpose. Plus, through the Phone Link app, you can also run Android apps from certain phones connected to your PC. However, this feature is limited to Samsung Galaxy smartphones and the Surface Duo family. Maybe Microsoft plans to expand it as a replacement for the Windows Subsystem for Android.
