Instead, Microsoft said it would love to have additional Android app stores and ecosystems in Windows 11, such as Google Play and the Samsung Galaxy Store.Īdditionally, Microsoft Engineer Miguel de Icaza said that APKs could be sideloaded directly onto Windows, meaning the Amazon Appstore won't be an actual restriction on day 1, just the only official store to get Android apps and games from. While Microsoft is partnering with Amazon to deliver Android apps initially, the goal isn't to provide exclusivity to Amazon. Similarly, apps downloaded in this manner will use the existing Amazon Appstore ecosystem to process in-app transactions.ĪPKs can be directly sideloaded onto Windows, making Android apps more like EXEs. For example, when you first try to install an Android app from the Microsoft Store in Windows 11, you'll be directed to download the Amazon Appstore and sign in with your Amazon account.įrom there, any Android app downloaded from the Microsoft Store will appear to come straight from that Microsoft Store, but the transaction will actually take place through the Amazon Appstore behind the scenes. The process for obtaining apps is only slightly complicated at first, but Microsoft says it'll be as transparent as a Windows-based app once you get it set up. Amazon has been running its alternative Android app store for the better part of the decade now and offers a compelling alternative to the Google Play Store for any Android device. Microsoft will be officially providing Android apps via the Amazon Appstore as part of this new system. What's more, Microsoft is now allowing developers to host their own apps or to use other content delivery platforms for updates and other downloads. You'll find Android apps listed in the Microsoft Store, but the files are stored on Amazon's servers. That means apps don't just have to be built around the UWP standard, but can now be Win32 or even APK - that's the extension used for Android applications. Microsoft is using Windows 11 to launch its new open app store, which allows developers to submit apps built in several different ways. When Windows 11 launches this Fall, Android apps can be obtained from the Microsoft Store found in the Start Menu. Source: Microsoft (Image credit: Source: Microsoft) What will Android apps look like on Windows 11? Whether or not Intel-based PCs will see a performance boost isn't yet known, but there is a distinct possibility. While Intel Bridge is a technology built into Intel processors, Windows Central's Daniel Rubino spoke with Microsoft and was assured that all Windows 11-based PCs - no matter if your PC runs on an AMD or an Intel chipset - will run Android apps. Similarly, the performance gulf between a PC processor and a mobile one in an Android phone means apps will almost certainly run better on your Windows 11-based PC, even if they technically run slower than native code would. Just as x86 apps technically run more slowly on an Apple M1-based Mac than native code would, the performance of the M1 chip ensures you won't ever notice. Similarly, the translation required for an Android app to run inside of Windows 11 means an Android app in Windows will never run as efficiently as a Windows app built for Windows. So naturally, the translator has to listen to the language being spoken, process and understand that language, and then present it to you in a language and structure that makes sense. If you think about watching a video in a foreign language that's being translated live by a person, there's always a slight lag time in the translation. Similarly, Microsoft's underlying technology in Windows 11, powered in part by Intel Bridge technology, also functions as a translator for ARM instructions - that's the architecture that Android is built upon and what chips from companies like Qualcomm and Mediatek are built on.Īndroid apps have to be translated to run on an Intel or AMD processor, but they run all the same.
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