- Microsoft will remove support for the Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.
- The support is set to end on March 5, 2025, but in the meantime, you can continue accessing the apps.
- You still have some alternatives to access Android apps and games from your Windows computer.
UPDATED 3/7/2024: Microsoft is scheduled to end support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) and the Amazon Appstore in 2025. After three years of trying to bring Android apps to Windows 11, the company is abandoning its efforts, and on March 5, 2025, the Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon Appstore will be deprecated.
The company quietly announced with a note on the official documentation page for WSA. The announcement notes that the apps and games from the Amazon Appstore app for Windows 11 will no longer be supported after March 5, 2025.
Amazon has also published an article detailing the discontinuation of the Amazon Appstore following the Microsoft update. The company’s announcement is similar to the one from Microsoft, but it offers a little more details, noting that developers don’t need to take any actions, but they can continue to submit updates for existing apps during the “wind-down period.”
WSA is retiring on Windows 11
If you have a setup using the subsystem, you will continue to be able to access the Android apps from Amazon, but only until the end of the support date. Furthermore, starting on March 6, 2024, Android will no longer be searchable from the Microsoft Store.
The original idea was to bridge the gap between Windows and Android apps, but after several years of trying, the feature didn’t gain popularity among users or developers.
The Amazon store app included thousands of apps and games, but none of them were worthy, and most of them were low-quality games.
It was possible to sideload apps outside the Amazon Appstore, but you need to go through an extensive list of steps to install the Google Play Store to download and install those applications that matter.
Andrew Clinick, a Microsoft ex-employee who has worked closely for the Windows Subsystem for Android team, unveiled that because the platform didn’t have an app store, it didn’t make financial sense to the company.
So, why did Microsoft opt to partner with Amazon? According to Clinick, it was difficult to get developers to submit apps to the Microsoft Store.
Also, the ex-employee mentioned something similar to what I’ve been saying, which is the lack of core Google apps (such as Gmail, Maps, and others) because they require Google Play Store services, which in part prevented WSA from gaining popularity.
Apparently, Microsoft even asked Google, and when the company “walked away, the nails were in the coffin,” explained Clinick.
Android apps and games moving forward
If you have been using the Windows Subsystem for Android on your computer, you still have a few choices to continue accessing the Android apps on Windows 11. For example, you can use the Google Play Game app that brings Android games to Windows 11 and 10 for gaming.
Also, if you want to access those apps from Google and other companies, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and games, you can use solutions like BlueStacks. This particular option uses virtualization to run Android on top of Windows to access the apps and games.
Update March 7, 2024: This guide has been updated to include more details about why the company discontinued the platform.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].