Microsoft has made the controversial decision to end Windows 11 support for Android apps. The reasons for this and how Android users will react are unclear.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday (March 5, 2025) that it will no longer support Android apps running on the OS via Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA).

"As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games that rely on WSA will no longer be supported beginning March 5, 2025," Microsoft wrote in a document for developers. The company notes that technical support for Windows Subsystem for Android will continue until then, and that Android apps will only be available to Windows 11 users until March 5 of next year.

The move comes as nothing short of a surprise to both developers and Android users: in 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 11 along with support for Android apps via the Windows Subsystem for Android. Through this subsystem, Windows users could install Android apps on their Windows PCs, but only from a selection of Android apps available on the Amazon Appstore.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Tom's Guide at the time that the company was "excited" to bring Android apps to the operating system, and that access to native Android apps would be one of Windows 11, which was one of its major selling points.

Now that selling point is about to disappear, and it is unclear why. Microsoft and Google have had their fair share of issues over the mobile ecosystem over the years, but the two companies seem to have found common ground with Windows 11. [It is unclear, however, how many Windows 11 users have turned to their laptops and desktops to download and play casual Android games and other Android apps. Based on this announcement, it is possible that the penetration of Android apps was not as strong as Microsoft had hoped. And perhaps it is simpler and more resource efficient to terminate the feature than to continue supporting it.