Microsoft has announced that it is making the preview of Android apps on Windows 11 available for Dev Channel Windows Insiders. The announcement comes several weeks after the feature launched as an exclusive for Windows Insiders with PCs enrolled in the Beta Channel.
We are making the preview of Android™ apps on Windows 11 for available to #WindowsInsiders in the Dev Channel (U.S.)! https://t.co/p2kfbNxtoH
— Windows Insider (@windowsinsider) November 4, 2021
It’s no surprise to see that Android apps are now finally available for Dev Channel Windows Insiders to test. When it initially launched for Beta Channel Insiders only, members of the community tweaked things to make Android apps run on the Dev Channel, too. The feature essentially depends on the Microsoft Store installing the Windows Subsystem for Android, so not much under the hood work is required for it to cross branches.
Even though this news might be exciting for Dev Channel Insiders, Android apps on Windows 11 are quite limited at the moment. We put together a list of some of our favorite apps, but many key players are missing, including Microsoft’s own apps like Minecraft, Outlook, or even Teams.
With Android apps now available in two rings of the Windows Insider Program, it seems like it’s not too far away from hitting the stable version of the new operating system. But, there’s still some work to do before this happens.
Microsoft promises that more apps are on the way soon. There’s also the fact that the Windows Subsystem for Android does not officially support Google Play Services, either. This means that many popular apps like Snapchat and Google Chrome will not work on Windows 11. However, a developer did put together a guide on how you can get it working.
Are you excited to see Android apps hit the Dev Channel? Let us know in the comments below.
