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Windows 11’s much-anticipated Android Apps integration finally arrives in beta

Arif Bacchus
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Microsoft is finally delivering on one of the most anticipated Windows 11 features. Just a few weeks after Windows 11 launched without it, the company is now rolling out the first preview of Android Apps in Windows 11 to Windows Insiders enrolled in the Beta channel.

Microsoft’s early preview of this experience includes a curation of Android 50 apps and games, and new apps will be rolling out in the coming months.  The current list of available apps includes popular mobile games like Lords Mobile, June’s Journey, Coin Master. As for reading and kid’s content, the list includes the Kindle app, Khan Academy Kids, and Lego Duplo World.

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As originally announced back in June, Android apps in Windows 11 depend on an underlying layer in Windows known as the Windows Subsystem for Android. It also depends on the Amazon App Store which powers the experience and the Android app listings found in the Windows 11 Microsoft Store.

The Amazon App Store in Windows 11 preview.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This early beta will only be available for you if your PC is enrolled in the beta branch of the Windows Insider program. Virtualization also needs to be enabled, and your PC must reach Microsoft’s Windows 11’s minimum system requirements.  If you meet these requirements, you should see an Amazon Appstore Preview section in the store that you can click to guide you through the steps of the installation of Android apps.

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This preview is available across all Windows devices and different processor types, including AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm. Microsoft says it partnered with Intel to leverage Intel Bridge Technology to enable Arm-only apps to run on AMD and Intel devices, enabling you to get the broadest set of apps on the broadest set of devices.

Microsoft notes that Android apps in games in Windows 11 should feel “familiar, effortless, and integrated — just as you would expect.” Apps will run in a windowed mode, and you can run them side by side with other Windows 11 apps, pin Android apps to your Start Menu or Taskbar, and interact with them via mouse, touch, or pen. You can see notifications from Android apps notifications in the Action Center or share your clipboard between a Windows app and an Android app.

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Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Computing Writer
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
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