Which Android apps do you want to see on Windows 11?

 The first preview of Windows 11 is now available for testing if you're a Windows Insider. Unfortunately, Android app compatibility isn't currently available in the first Windows 11 Insider Preview.

A look back at Android on Windows

The topic of Android app compatibility in Windows has been discussed for quite some time, around six and a half years. Microsoft hosted its second big Windows 10 event in January 2015, during which it unveiled some ambitious new ambitions for getting apps into the Windows Store, which is now known as the Microsoft Store.

The Redmond company has unveiled four bridges in addition to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Project Westminster was a method of packaging hosted web programmes as UWP apps, whereas Project Centennial was a method of packaging Win32 apps for distribution through the Store. However, Microsoft recognised that iOS and Android were the primary platforms for app development, and it devised a strategy to bring those apps to Windows.

Project Islandwood was an attempt to recompile Objective-C source code for use in Windows applications. It was never really popular because it was never particularly excellent. The iOS bridge eventually became open source, although there hasn't been any activity on GitHub in years. Finally, Project Astoria provided a means for Windows users to run Android apps. Astoria, unlike Islandwood, did not need you to recompile your programmes. Running Android applications on Windows 10 was a piece of cake.

Unlike the other three bridges, Project Astoria was cut off before Windows 10 was released. The stated explanation given by Microsoft for discontinuing it was that it was too confusing for developers to have the option of transferring their iOS app to Android. The true cause was the subject of conflicting stories. Some speculated that it was because Android apps performed so well that developers wouldn't bother to create Windows apps. It didn't function well enough, according to other accounts.

Regardless, it vanished before Windows 10 was released. However, it morphed into the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which morphed into WSL 2, a real Linux kernel that ships with Windows 10. That brings us back to Project Latte today.

The codename for bringing Android applications to Windows 11 was Project Latte. It uses the Windows Subsystem for Android from Microsoft, and it runs without any performance difficulties on amd64 computers thanks to Intel Bridge technology. These programmes can run natively on arm64 computers.

There's been a lot of work put into this, and Microsoft even teamed up with Amazon to incorporate its Appstore into the Microsoft Store. Of course, you are not obligated to utilise the Store. Installing an APK is similar to installing any other software.

But why do we even need Android apps on Windows 11? What apps do you want to see?

It's been six and a half years since I've had much time to ponder about Android applications on Windows. During the Project Astoria preview phase, only Windows phones, not laptops, were capable of running Android applications. That made sense at the time, even without Google services, due to the absence of Windows phone apps.

But when it comes to Windows 11, I'm still not sure what we should expect. Sure, as Windows fans, we're looking forward to Windows 11. We're enthusiastic about the potential of Android applications, especially given Windows' history of not receiving the app support it requires, at least in the Store. I'm not certain that Android applications can provide Windows users with something they don't already have. At the very least, we may expect for more touch-friendly apps.

But when it comes to Windows 11, I'm still not sure what we should expect. Sure, as Windows fans, we're looking forward to Windows 11. We're enthusiastic about the potential of Android applications, especially given Windows' history of not receiving the app support it requires, at least in the Store. I'm not certain that Android applications can provide Windows users with something they don't already have. At the very least, we may expect for more touch-friendly apps.

Many of us use the browser to perform all of our work on Windows. I have roughly a dozen tabs open at any given time, and many of them are things I could accomplish with a native app but don't. Two email tabs, Twitter, and more features are included. Skype, OneNote, Microsoft To Do, and Slack are all native apps that I use. Chromebooks have shown us that we can accomplish the majority of our work in the browser. Chromebooks did, in fact, add Android compatibility to make up for the lack of features. But don't we have native Windows programmes to compensate for the lack of functionality?

I'm not sure how much use I'd get out of Android applications, although I can think of a few. Amazon owns both Kindle and Comixology, so they are the two that spring to mind. Yes, we have them. Comixology offers an online reader, while Kindle both a web app plus a native PC app. However, utilising any of these on a tablet is not a pleasant experience.

The lack of Google services on Windows doesn't bother me. This isn't an Android phone or tablet. For a pleasant experience, I don't need Google Maps or Google Photos. All of them are accessible through their respective web applications, which I use. Some applications may not work properly; for example, Twitter utilises Google to provide alerts, which I don't mind.

I'd want to hear about your expectations for Android apps in Windows 11. Is there a special app on your PC that you're looking forward to using? Are you looking forward to having simpler access to upcoming Android apps?

Please let us know. What excites you the most about Android apps on Windows 11?