What you need to know
- The Android Subsystem for Windows allows you to install Android apps onto Windows PCs.
- The feature is now available in an additional 31 markets, including the UK, Canada, and Germany.
- Previously, Android app support on Windows 11 was limited to the United States and Japan.
Android app support on Windows 11 is now available in several new regions. Previously, the functionality was limited to the United States and Japan. Support for it is now rolling out to 31 additional markets, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Microsoft announced the expansion earlier this month alongside the release of the Windows 11 2022 Update. The Android Subsystem for Windows, which is what enables Android app support on Windows 11, is now rolling out to the markets Microsoft mentioned.
An email sent out by Microsoft outlines the prerequisites for using the Windows Subsystem for Android:
- Your PC needs to meet these system requirements.
- Make sure you’re running Microsoft Store version 22206.1401.6 or higher. You can check for updates for the Store by going to your Library and selecting the “Get updates” button.
- Your PC’s region must be set to [a supported region].
- You will also need to have a [supported region-based] Amazon account... to use the Amazon Appstore.
The Amazon App Store on Windows 11 now has over 20,000 apps, which sounds like a lot but is quite limiting. Our guide on how to sideload Android apps using WSA on Windows 11 will vastly expand the library of Android apps available for your PC. If you want to take things even further, it's possible to run Google Play Store Android apps on Windows 11, though the process to get that working is complicated.
A utility called WSATools makes it easier to sideload Android apps onto Windows 11. We'll take a closer look at Android app support on Windows 11 now that it's available in more regions.
