Last summer Microsoft unveiled Android apps on Windows 11 via the Amazon app store. It opened a floodgate of possibilities on PC. You could finally look beyond Android emulators for Windows.
Amazon app store has grown from a roster of 50-odd titles to touching a figure of 50,000 apps spanning across different genres. It is now available in more regions outside of the US. So let us learn to install Android apps on Windows 11 through the Amazon app store.
Install Android Apps on Windows 11
There are certain things you must check before the Amazon app store can be installed on Windows 11. We will go through each item on the checklist.
Is your country supported?
- As we write this, the Amazon app store on Windows 11 is available in over 31 countries and regions – USA, Canada, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, UK, etc,. You can check the complete list of countries here.
If your country is not yet supported then wait for it to become available. Can’t wait to try Android apps on Windows 11? then you can sideload Android apps. - You also need an Amazon account of the supported country.
Update Windows 11 to version 220000 or higher
Update your Windows 11 to the latest version by installing the pending updates. Amazon app store currently needs version 220000 or higher. The recommended Windows 11 version keeps on changing so check for it on the App store’s listing page on the Microsoft store.
Turn on Virtualization
Whether you are running UEFI or BIOS, you need virtualization turned on to run Android apps on Windows 11. Here is how it is done.
1. Head to the Start Menu search and type Turn on Windows feature. Head to the first result from Control Panel.
2. Find and enable Virtual Machine Platform by ticking the box next to it.
3. Click OK to save the settings. Restart the computer as prompted to apply the changes.
Install Amazon App store on Windows 11
We will install the Amazon app store from the Microsoft store. From there you can install Android apps on Windows 11 and use it just like any other app on PC.
1. Head to the Microsoft Store and search for Amazon App store.
2. Click Install to start the installation process. A prompt will open up on the screen.
3. Click on Set up to start the setup process. It will take a couple of seconds and then you move to the next step.
4. After that click on the Download button to download Window Subsystem for Android. It can take several minutes depending upon your internet’s download speed.
5. Click Next to finish the installation. Now you have successfully installed Amazon app store on Windows 11.
6. Now restart the PC as prompted unless you have some important unsaved work on the computer. In that case you can choose Restart later and reboot the PC at a later time of convenience.
7. Launch the Amazon App store from Start Menu and then log into your Amazon account.
8. Explore and install Android apps available on the Amazon app store and use them like any other regular Windows application.
Long Road Ahead
The Amazon App store has certainly impressed with their apps library expansion in a short period. It cannot be compared to the Google Play store but we can call it a start in the right direction.
Microsoft needs to quickly expand the list of supported regions. It can help in early adoption and exponentially increase the usersbase of the app store. This can incentivize app developers to create more Android apps for Windows 11.
