Microsoft has now announced a Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) through which you can run Android applications directly on your Windows 11 computer. As this feature is still in the testing phase, it has been made available to Windows Insiders on the Beta channel. This feature is only available to users on the Beta channel within the U.S. Moreover, there are a few known issues with this feature, therefore we suggest that you create a system restore point before diving right into it.
Windows Subsystem for Android
Just like Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), WSA also requires virtualization technology to run the applications. Therefore, one of the requirements to run Android apps is that virtualization be enabled on your Windows 11 Beta computer. Before we begin, there are a few other requirements that you need to ensure on your Windows 11 computer that needs to be fulfilled to run Android applications natively.
Prerequisites to Run Android Apps on Windows 11
There are some requirements that you need to ensure your system meets before you can run any Android applications on your computer. Here’s the list:
Meet Hardware Requirements for Windows 11
This step is pretty easy. You just have to ensure that your computer/VM meets the minimum requirements to run Windows 11. This guide illustrates how you can ensure whether your device is fit to run Windows 11. In the case of a VM, here is how you can create a Windows 11 VM on different hypervisors.
Enable Virtualization
Since Windows Subsystem for Android uses virtualization technology, the system’s virtualization support must be enabled. On a computer, you can enable it through the system’s BIOS. In the case of a VM, a tweak needs to be applied to enable nested virtualization. Nested virtualization means forwarding your host device’s virtualization technology onto a VM, so then it can support it (virtualization within virtualization). To enable nested virtualization, run the following command in PowerShell with administrative privileges on the host machine while replacing NameOfVM with the complete name of the VM you want to enable virtualization on: Note: Switch off the VM before running this command.
Subscribe to Beta Channel
Make sure that your Windows 11 device is subscribed to the Beta channel. Here is a complete guide on how to enroll your device in an Insider channel.
Build should be 22000.xxx or higher
Ensure that your Windows 11 build is at least 22000.xxx or higher. You can update to the latest build in the Beta channel by checking for new updates. Simply navigate to the following to install the latest available Windows updates:
Microsoft Store v22110.1402.6.0 or higher
Ensure that your Microsoft Store version is 22110.1402.6.0 or higher. Here is how you can check your Microsoft Store application: If you find that your app is not up to date, simply click on Library and then click Get updates and all pending updates (of any Microsoft applications) will be updated, including Microsoft Store.
Set Region to U.S.
Since this feature is only available to users in the U.S. on the Beta channel, you need to ensure that your device’s region is set to the U.S. as well. Here is how: Now that your device meets all the requirements, you can now continue to the next section of this post to download and install the Android apps.
Run Android Apps on Windows 11
The application you have installed can now run like any regular Windows app on your device. You can even run it through the Start menu by searching for it. To learn more about this new feature, read this Microsoft blog post.
Known issues
Microsoft is currently aware of a few issues that users may face while experiencing the Android app on their PC: [Microsoft Store] [Windows Subsystem for Android]
Network access issues on Cellular LTE for ARM64.You may see display visual artifacts on certain applications on ARM64 devices.Users may experience performance issues when running multiple concurrent apps.There are known camera issues on certain apps.Apps coming out of modern standby may encounter some issues.
Verdict
It is a great initiative to be able to run regular Android applications on your computer. However, there are a few things we would love Microsoft to change. In addition, only 50 applications are currently supported. To be honest, we did not find those 50 apps to be very useful. Rather, we would rather have some more interesting apps, such as games, or productive apps.
