Microsoft will no longer support Windows Subsystem for Android Apps

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer support Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), a virtual machine that enabled Android apps to be run on Windows 11 via Amazon Appstore. The company officially partnered with Amazon in 2021 to offer support for mobile apps and has been updating the platform regularly since then. However, as per the recent announcement, Windows 11 users will no longer be able to use Android apps after March 5, 2025.

Microsoft has recently announced that it will discontinue its support for Amazon Appstore on Windows and any applications and games that rely on Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) beyond March 5, 2025. This announcement has been marked as "Important" on the WSA web page and has created a huge disturbance among users and developers.

However, the company has informed that customers who have already installed the Amazon Appstore or Android apps before March 5, 2024, will continue to have access to those apps until March 5, 2025. Amazon has also notified developers about the decision and the important dates that they need to note.

Developers will not be able to upload new apps, but they can continue to provide updates and support for their existing apps until the discontinuation date in 2025. The move has left many developers and users worried and wondering about the future of Android apps on Windows.

Users can still use any pre-installed apps for the next year until March 5, 2025, but downloading and installing new apps is no longer possible. Additionally, the Amazon Appstore and any associated Android apps will not be searchable on Windows 11 either.

This move by Microsoft comes three years after it first introduced WSA, which desired to provide Android apps natively on Windows 11. However, the company did not provide a reason for the decision, but it has been reported that Android app users on Windows 11 have been low since Microsoft couldn't strike a deal with Google. Instead, it onboarded Amazon Appstore, which has a smaller selection of apps compared to the Play Store. This could be a reason why WSA and native Android apps never became popular.