Microsoft has announced its decision to discontinue official support for the Windows Subsystem for Android, starting from March 5, 2025. This move comes after the software giant initially revealed plans to integrate Android apps into Windows 11 through a partnership with Amazon’s Appstore nearly three years ago. Microsoft has now issued an official statement on its website stating, “Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android™️ (WSA). As a result, the Amazon App store on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will not be supported from next year.”
According to the announcement, users who have already downloaded Android apps from the Amazon Appstore before March 5, 2024, will retain access to them beyond the cutoff date. The notice specifies, “Customers that have installed the Amazon Appstore or Android apps prior to March 5, 2024, will continue to have access to those apps through the deprecation date of March 5, 2025.
However, users will no longer have the option to download new apps once Microsoft discontinues the Windows Subsystem for Android. Beginning March 6 of this year, Windows 11 users will also be unable to search for the Amazon Appstore or associated Android apps in the Microsoft Store.
This unexpected decision from Microsoft has taken many users by surprise, especially considering the continuous updates to the Windows Subsystem for Android over the past few years. Amazon has also addressed Microsoft’s decision, promising to ensure “a smooth end of support experience for developers and customers of Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.” They further outlined that developers will not be able to submit new apps for Windows 11 after March 5, 2024, but those with existing apps can continue to submit updates until the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is fully discontinued.
Initially, Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Android was seen as a potential competitor to Apple’s ability to run iOS apps on macOS. However, without official support for the Google Play Store, the experience was not as seamless as Apple’s. This likely contributed to Microsoft’s decision to discontinue Android app support on Windows 11.
