Microsoft has been working to bring Android apps support to Windows for a while now. Known internally as Project Latte, this effort was one of the highlights of the company’s announcement of Windows 11 in June. But the Redmond giant had to delay this feature, so we didn’t see it in action when Windows 11 launched earlier this month. Microsoft has now released Preview of Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows Insider channels. In this article, we have detailed the steps to install and run Android apps on Windows 11.
Install Android Apps on Windows 11 (2021)
Before proceeding, be sure to check the requirements section to make sure your Windows 11 PC is currently eligible to test Android apps. We also mentioned the steps to manually install the package and potential fixes if you encounter installation errors. Having said that, let’s get straight to the point!
Requirements for Installing Android Apps on Windows 11
- Windows 11 Insider Beta Channel
To be eligible to install and run Android apps on Windows 11, Running Windows 11 in Beta channel. To be specific, you should be on Windows 11 22000.xxx series builds. If you are unsure of your build version, use the Windows 11 keyboard shortcut ‘Win+R’ to open the Run dialog, type winver and press Enter to display your current Windows 11 version.
- Virtualization Support
If you meet the above criteria, now Make sure you enable virtualization from your PC’s BIOS/UEFI. You can check out our linked guide to enable virtualization in Windows 11. To check if virtualization is enabled on your computer, open the Task Manager using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Next, switch to the Performance tab and It says “active” next to “Virtualization” in the bottom right.
- Check Microsoft Store Version
After providing both, check your Microsoft Store version. Microsoft says You need version 22110.1402.6.0 or higher of Microsoft Store To run Android apps. To check the Microsoft Store version open the app, tap on your profile picture and choose App Settings, you will see it at the bottom. You can update the Microsoft Store by clicking the “Get updates” button from the Library section.
- Set Windows 11 Region to USA
you should too Check if your PC region is set to USA. If not, you can manually set the region of your Windows 11 PC. Set course to “Settings -> Time and language -> Language and region -> Country or region” and select “United States” from the drop-down list.
- US Based Amazon Account
Finally, you need a US-based Amazon account For testing Android apps from Amazon Appstore. The catalog is currently pretty limited and only includes around 50 apps, including Kindle, Khan Academy Kids, and United Airlines. However, you can enable developer mode and sideload the apps you want.
How to Install Android Apps on Windows 11 (Easiest Method)
1. Before you start Download Windows Subsystem for Android From the Microsoft Store. Use this direct link To access the Windows Subsystem for Android list.
2nd. You will now see a green “Install” button If your PC is ok. Click on it and follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the Windows Subsystem for Android. As always, it mostly involves clicking ‘Next’ and ‘Download’ on the last screen.
note: If you have installed WSA in the past and then uninstalled it, you will see an “Get” button. We did this for this tutorial and are currently reloading.
3. Microsoft is currently Release of version 1.7.32815.0 Windows Subsystem for Android. After installing the application, the main screen of the Windows Subsystem for Android looks like this:
4. Now that you’ve installed the Windows Subsystem for Android, it’s time to install the Amazon App Store. To use this is direct link To download and install Amazon Appstore on your Windows 11 PC. If your PC is available, you will see an “Install” button under the name of the app.
5. After installing the app, sign in to start downloading Android apps from Amazon Appstore on your Windows 11 PC. As mentioned above, you will need a US-based Amazon account to access the app store.
6. After logging in, you get access to Android apps currently available in the store. Since this is the mobile version of the app, it may look slightly different on your setup.
7. I downloaded a game called Godus to test apps on Amazon Appstore. As you can see below, it’s installed and works as you expect.
Install Windows Subsystem for Android from Winget (Manual Method 1)
note: This method may not work if you are outside of the United States and will usually result in a server error instead.
1. You can also choose to download WSA from Winget, the Windows Package Manager. If you haven’t already, you can check out this guide to learn how to install Winget. Next, use the command below to download WSA from Winget:
winget install 9p3395vx91nr -s msstore
2. Enter ‘Y’ to accept the terms and start the installation process.
3. Similarly, the command to install Amazon Appstore is as follows:
winget install 9njhk44ttksx -s msstore
Install Windows Subsystem for Android Msixbundle Package (Manual Method 2)
Note: If you have a copy of the Windows Subsystem for the Android Msixbundle package, here is how you can install it. Needless to say, we do not support piracy and we recommend that you do not download packages from untrusted sources. It would be wise to wait for Microsoft to roll out Android support to other Windows Insiders channels and eventually to the stable Windows 11 release.
1. Click the search icon (magnifying glass) on the taskbar and Search for “powershell”. From the search results displayed, Select Run as administrator.
2. Now open the file manager and navigate to the MSIX package. Right click on the file and select “Copy as path” to copy the file path to the clipboard of your Windows 11 PC.
3. Go back to the Powershell window you just opened and paste the path after the following command:
Add-AppPackage -path <path of package file>
4. Now all you have to do is wait for the installation process to complete. It will take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on your PC’s hardware. After the process is complete, you will have successfully installed the Windows Subsystem for Android on your Windows 11 PC. You can now try apps from Amazon AppStore or sideload Android apps.
Fix ‘Cannot start Windows Subsystem for Android’ Error
If you’re getting an error when trying to boot the Windows Subsystem for Android, the fix is simple. Follow the steps below:
1. Open the Settings app and set course in this direction Apps -> Optional featuresScroll down until you find the ‘Other Windows features’ option.
2. Now, enable ‘Virtual Machine Platform’ in optional features and press OK. Some users report that enabling ‘Windows Hypervisor Platform’ helps, and if ‘Virtual Machine Platform’ doesn’t work, you can enable it too. Your Windows Subsystem for Android should now run without errors on your Windows 11 PC.
Sideload Android Apps on Windows 11
The best part of the Windows Subsystem for Android is its ability to sideload apps, especially since Amazon Appstore’s app library currently has a limited number of apps. You can install popular Google Play Store alternatives like Aurora Store to help simplify the whole APK installation process.
We tested sideloading multiple apps from the Aurora Store and APKMirror and the installation process was smooth. To sideload apps, you must install ADB on your PC, enable developer mode, connect WSA to ADB and use the adb install command. Go ahead and check out our exclusive guide on how to sideload Android apps on Windows 11 for more information.
Windows Subsystem for Android: First Impressions
In our short test, the Windows Subsystem for Android exceeded our expectations. Most Android apps ran smoothly on a Windows 11 laptop with an Intel Core i5-9300H CPU and Nvidia GTX 1650 MaxQ GPU. However, Deepayan from our team installed WSA on his AMD Ryzen laptop and it failed to meet its performance target. We noticed some sluggishness when using an Android app on this laptop. However, an appropriate aspect here is you can open installed Android apps directly from the Windows 11 Start Menu. This is something you won’t find in the best Android emulators.
It uses your laptop’s keyboard and mouse/trackpad for input. You even have the option to resize supported apps, but they can be finicky and not fill the entire screen as intended. Having said all this, RAM usage starts to increase when you have more than 3 Android apps running at the same time. Considering this is an early release, we can expect more optimizations before the stable release.
Easily Run Your Favorite Android Apps on Windows 11!
Microsoft is testing Android apps on the Windows 11 build 22000 series, hinting that we might get official support for Android apps by the end of the year before next year’s feature update. While Microsoft is adding the finishing touches, we hope this article helped you get an early taste of Android apps in Windows 11. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments below and we’ll try to help you.
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