In a little bit of a shock announcement, Microsoft lately introduced the shutdown of Home windows 11’s Home windows Subsystem for Android. The characteristic that has allowed you to run Android apps immediately in your Home windows PC for the previous 12 months is already being deprecated, however once you have a look at the reasoning behind this resolution, it is sensible. Merely put: getting Android apps on a desktop OS (like on ChromeOS or Home windows) takes work, and also you want individuals utilizing it to make the work make sense.
How Android Apps on Home windows works (labored)
Launched with Home windows 11, the Home windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) was a fairly cool characteristic for those who have taken benefit of it. Partnering with Amazon’s Appstore, this characteristic permits customers to obtain and run Android apps simply on their computer systems. Since this utilized Amazon’s Appstore versus Google Play, nevertheless, the restricted choice of apps appears to have held this characteristic again.
Why Microsoft is killing the characteristic
For Microsoft, it appears the shortage of utilization is finally what killed this characteristic ultimately. In keeping with a Microsoft worker over on X (by way of 9to5 Google), the cash generated by the Amazon Appstore helped fund the employees required to take care of WSA. Since few individuals used the characteristic, income fell quick, making it financially unsustainable for Microsoft. Easy resolution, I suppose.
Whereas handy, WSA might not return as a result of prices concerned. The Android-on-Home windows market might merely be too small, notably with fewer Home windows tablets round. The place Android apps current a brand new stage of talents for a Spartan OS like ChromeOS, Home windows has an enormous software ecosystem that spans a long time, so it’s a little bit of a tricky promote to get customers to essentially take benefit.
However the complete factor is a little bit of a lesson in bringing the Android framework to every other OS. Clearly, it takes effort and time, and which means it takes cash. There’s nothing totally different with ChromeOS, and I hope the story of the WSA’s demise is a reminder to Chromebook customers. These things is tough to get proper, and although Android apps on Chromebooks continues to be tough on just a few edges, it’s a fairly welcome addition to this straightforward, quick, and safe working system all of us love a lot.