Microsoft has taken an interim step to expand the Windows subsystem for Android outside the United States by making it available in preview in Japan.
There are workarounds for people who need to run very special Android apps on their desktop and don’t have the necessary regional accounts, but they took an inexplicably long time.
The Windows subsystem for Android was released about a year ago, and the preview has been quietly updated since then.
In May, Microsoft introduced an update to Android 12.1 for Windows Insiders on Dev Channel, using this technology and the latest improvements in compatibility and networking.
But the frustrating claims against US accounts and the Amazon Appstore remained. The Amazon part is still chasing users who would rather get out of Jeff Bezos’ walled garden (although there are ways to hack brickwork), but Microsoft’s expansion into Windows has allowed the WSA to soften its position only in the US. from the Japanese interior. “We are excited to take the first steps to make this preview available in other countries and regions,” the company said.
Requires Windows 11 22H2 (or later) (hence the Windows Insider requirements) to access it. Installing the latest version of the Amazon Appstore requires updating the Microsoft Store to version 22206.1401.6 (or later).
I can’t help but wonder who this wizbang really is for. Microsoft’s infamous shotgun approach appears to be in effect. Via Phone Link (formerly Your Phone), the latest victim of the rebranding division, you can run Android apps from your connected smartphone. Developers used to use emulators for Android, and now there is a long-developed Windows subsystem for Android. It’s hard to believe that after the death of Windows Phone, someone found and reinvented the old Project Astoria code, first as the Windows subsystem for Linux and now as WSA.
However, if you have Android games or apps (Amazon Appstore) that don’t have Windows equivalents, WSA is a useful tool. The experience remains seamless, and it looks like the intent to expand outside the US will give more Microsoft customers the opportunity to bring the joy of mobile to the Windows 11 desktop.