It looks like Microsoft isn’t resting on its laurels in terms of the system that lets Home windows 11 run Android apps: on Friday, the corporate introduced an replace that upgrades the model of Android working in your pc and helps make the apps really feel extra at house working on a PC. The Home windows Subsystem for Android replace is at present solely obtainable to check for Home windows Insiders, however that’s most likely an excellent factor for causes we’ll contact on in only a second.
The headlining enchancment is an replace to the model of Android that underpins Home windows’ potential to run cellular apps. The present public launch appears to be utilizing Android 11 (based mostly on some prodding I did utilizing developer instruments), however the model that Microsoft is testing is working Android 12.1, aka Android 12L. What that successfully means is that, in case you’ve acquired something aside from a current Pixel, your pc could also be working a more recent model of Android than your telephone.
The replace additionally brings enhancements to how Android apps combine with Home windows. Pop-up messages from apps might present up as Home windows notifications now, and the taskbar will be capable of present if an Android app is accessing your microphone or location. The corporate additionally says that Android apps ought to behave higher after you wake your pc up from standby. As an alternative of restarting, they need to simply resume from the place they left off.
Microsoft additionally says it’s fully redesigned the settings app that you simply use to handle the Home windows Subsystem for Android, grouping settings collectively and offering an “all-around cleaner person expertise.” It’s additionally made varied enhancements to how Android apps can entry your pc’s digital camera and has even improved the networking capabilities so you’ll be able to arrange good house gadgets utilizing an Android app working in your pc.
Whereas these all sound like large enhancements, you might wish to maintain off on attempting to make use of the characteristic your self in the mean time. For one, it’s at present being rolled out to the Dev channel, which is essentially the most bleeding-edge of the Home windows Insider rings. (That means you’re extra prone to run into bugs and crashes outdoors of working Android apps.) To that time, Microsoft warns that the improve to Android 12.1 “might trigger some apps to fail to launch.” Maybe that’s not tremendous stunning given how tough the Android 12 rollout has been on telephones. The corporate says it’s working with companions “to handle these points as quickly as attainable,” so hopefully it’ll get straightened out earlier than it reaches customers.
Even when the replace isn’t fairly absolutely baked but, it’s good to see that Microsoft is definitely giving some like to the Android apps on Home windows characteristic. It may’ve simply launched it as one thing cool coming with Home windows 11, launched it, and thought of the mission roughly completed. The truth that we’re seeing main modifications to it, although, makes it seem to be Microsoft is dedicated to the characteristic in the meanwhile. If it actually desires to have a first-class expertise, although, it might want to work out a a lot simpler method to obtain apps from the Google Play Retailer, somewhat than the much more restricted Amazon Appstore’s choice.
