A Big Deal For The Industry Windows 11 Now Supports Android Apps

With Windows 11, Microsoft introduced a new store, which integrated a second app store. The goal was a flexible and transparent trading model and the introduction of Android apps. The second store is the Amazon Appstore, but it can be searched with the normal Microsoft Store. The search thus shows the search results completely independent of the platform. If an application is available in several app stores, the user has the choice on which platform to install it.

The normal installation path for an Android app is via the Microsoft Store, which integrates Amazon’s Appstore with all the Android apps in it. If an Android app is installed this way, the installation and a purchase process runs through Amazon’s Appstore. The prerequisite for use is a valid Amazon account, which allows access to the Appstore. The system is currently still in the trial phase and is not available to all Windows 11 users. At the time of writing, there are currently 50 apps – mainly games – available through the Amazon Appstore. However, the list of apps is supposed to be expanded continuously. Currently, it remains unclear when Microsoft will give all Windows 11 users the ability to run Android apps on Windows 11. However, we expect a final release of the feature in the first or second quarter of 2022.

Is this an exclusive partnership? Probably not. But the Amazon App Store is also just the first port of call and doesn’t have to get an immediate monopoly on Windows 11. Microsoft emphasized very early on after the first announcement that they will allow sideloading and thus probably also support alternative app stores. So it is quite possible that Microsoft itself will also offer Android apps in its own store one day and renounce the partnership with Amazon. With a lot of good will, one could also believe in a Google Play Store launch under Windows 11.