Skip to main content

Android apps come to the Microsoft Store in Windows 11 via the Amazon App Store

At the June 24 Microsoft event, Microsoft confirmed what was long believed to be true. Windows 11 will support Android apps via the Amazon App Store. The apps have the ability to be locally installed and will function without the need for a smartphone, appearing native in your Taskbar and Start Menu.

Microsoft didn’t share many details, but rumors had indicated that the feature could be powered by the Windows Subsystem for Linux. All Android apps that are compatible with Windows 11 will show up in a special section in the Microsoft Store.

android apps in app store on windows 11 - Tiktok
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft showcased a screenshot showing apps that can run on Windows 11, and the TikTok app is one of them. The app is able to resize, can be dragged around to a mobile view, and doesn’t appear to run full-screen.

Recommended Videos

This is similar to the behavior in the Your Phone app, where you are able to sync apps from select Samsung phones through Wi-Fi and the local network. The difference here is that things are now running natively, independent of phones and other devices.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other than support for Android apps, Microsoft mentioned that the new Microsoft Store on Windows 11 will be more of an open storefront. The store will support all kinds of different apps, including Win32, UWP, and PWA. This means that you’ll be able to find apps like Google Chrome in the Microsoft Store and won’t have to depend on going on the internet to download Win32 apps from other sources.

Microsoft even showcased some new apps in the Microsoft Store in Windows 11. The list includes Disney+, as well as Adobe Creative Cloud. Intel worked together with Microsoft on the technology, and Intel’s bridge technology will bring the apps to life to create a more seamless experience.

As a shot at Apple, Microsoft even announced that apps can have their own commerce engine where developers can take home all the revenue without a cut for Microsoft.

It’s not clear when this feature will come to everyone for testing, but it’s likely to be available once Windows 11 hits general availability in the fall. Microsoft will need to test the feature via the Windows Insider program before launching it to the general public. So be on the lookout for more updates soon.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Copilot is Microsoft’s cue to redeem Windows and edge past macOS
The new Surface Laptop 13 on a white table.

There is always going to be a big divide between macOS and Windows. Much of it has to do with the functional disparities that are deeply ingrained at an OS-level. Or if you dive into the heated community debates, you will see it broadly as a battle between seamlessness and flexibility. 

Gaming remains the guiding star for Windows adherents. A handful of highly specialized niche industry tools also remain locked to the Microsoft platform. On the other hand, macOS fans swear by the fluid software, plenty of firepower options in the M-series silicon era, and fantastic hardware. 

Read more
Windows 11’s controversial AI Recall feature is coming to your Copilot+ PC very soon
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

As AI strides on, it inevitably finds its way onto our personal devices, with tech giants announcing new features that rely on accessing our private information and media to serve us better. While some might find this useful, others are bound to find it creepy, and one such feature is Microsoft's controversial AI Recall, which takes screenshots of everything you do on a Copilot+ PC so it's easier to trace back your steps and find something specific later. After being announced last year, and then witnessing a few delays, Recall is finally rolling out to a broader group of Windows 11.

Microsoft recently announced Recall is coming to Windows 11 with the latest Release channel update with build 26100.3902 (KB5055627). The feature's availability in the Windows 11 Release Preview channel, which succeeds the Beta channel in the Windows Insider program, means it is in the initial phases of being available to a wider audience of folks who own Copilot+ PC. This category of PCs currently includes a whole wide range of laptops with specialized hardware in the form of a neural processing unit (NPU) dedicatedly for running AI tasks, though we might see desktops joining the club soon.

Read more
Windows 11 and 10 users find new inetpub folder after April update
Shutdown menu in Windows 11.

Windows 11 and 10 users have reported a mysterious 'inetpub' folder after installing Microsoft's April 2025 updates, as Bleeping Computer reports. Although the folder is typically associated with the Internet Information Services (IIS) web server, it's now appearing on systems without it installed. Microsoft has confirmed that the behavior is intentional but has not fully explained why.

The unexpected folder is empty, and you can find it in the root of the C: drive even if you don't have IIS installed. If you had IIS installed (web server platform by Microsoft), it would use the inetpub folder to save logs, website content, and server-related files. So, it's weird you have one without the other after installing Windows 11 KB5055523 update or Windows 10 KB5055518. The SYSTEM account owns the new inetpub folder, meaning an elevated process made it.

Read more