Company to unveil Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 hardware on March 21
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Microsoft is ending support for its Android subsystem in Windows 11 next year. The software giant first announced it was bringing Android apps to Windows 11 with Amazon’s Appstore nearly three years ago, but this Windows Subsystem for Android will now be deprecated starting March 5th, 2025, according to a report in The Verge. “Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android™️ (WSA),” reads a new support document from Microsoft. “As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will no longer be supported beginning March 5, 2025.” If you currently use Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, then you’ll continue to have access to these past the support cutoff date, but you won’t be able to download any new ones once Microsoft makes its Android subsystem end of life next year. On March 6th (tomorrow), Windows 11 users will no longer be able to search for Amazon Appstore or associated Android apps from the Microsoft Store, says The Verge report. It’s a surprise move after Microsoft has been continually updating its Windows Subsystem for Android over the past few years. Amazon says it will deliver “a smooth end of support experience for developers and customers of Amazon Appstore on Windows 11” alongside Microsoft. “Developers will no longer be able to submit net new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024, but developers with an existing app can continue to submit app updates until Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is fully discontinued,” says Amazon. Android apps on Windows 11 originally seemed like Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s progress with its M1 chips and running iOS apps on macOS. Microsoft partnered with Amazon, but without official access to Google’s Play Store it was always a subpar experience if you just wanted to easily download popular Android apps on Windows. That’s probably a big part of the reason Microsoft has chosen to simply kill off its Android apps on Windows 11, according to the report. Another The Verge report says that Microsoft is planning to unveil new Surface devices later this month. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company will unveil Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 hardware, aimed at business and commercial customers, on March 21st. The March event will be focused on minor spec bumps to the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 commercial models, but a larger redesign is planned for the consumer models of both devices this spring. While the commercial Surface Pro 10 will sport the latest Intel chips and a familiar design, Microsoft is moving to an OLED display on the Surface Pro 10 for consumers, according to the report.
Microsoft to end its Android apps on Windows 11 subsystem in 2025
