If you’ve used Android apps on Windows, you’re likely using the Windows Subsystem for Android and the Amazon Appstore. However, Microsoft has announced that they are sunsetting the service in 2025.
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As indicated on the Windows Subsystem for Android resource page, Microsoft is ending support for the feature on March 5, 2025:
“Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android™️ (WSA). As a result, the Amazon Appstore on Windows and all applications and games dependent on WSA will no longer be supported beginning March 5, 2025. Until then, technical support will remain available to customers.
Microsoft Learn
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. Please reach out to our support team for further questions at support.microsoft.com. We are grateful for the support of our developer community and remain committed to listening to feedback as we evolve experiences.”
Personally, I never got around to using the service even though all it required was installing the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. If you do want to play around with Android apps and games on Windows, you have the rest of today to install the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store on your Windows device before Amazon pulls it as indicated in this email we received earlier today:
“Dear Customer,
“We are writing to inform you about changes to the availability of Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.
“Starting March 6, 2024, Amazon Appstore will no longer be available for download from the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 devices. After March 5, 2025, Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 and any apps downloaded from it will not be supported. For additional details and insights into this transition, please read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section: www.amazon.ca/appstoreonwindowsFAQ
“Despite this change, we want to assure you that Amazon Appstore will continue to be available and supported on Fire TV, Fire Tablet and Android devices. We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we work to enhance and evolve the Amazon Appstore experience on those devices.
“If you have further questions, please contact Amazon Customer Service.
“Amazon Appstore”
Email to Amazon customers
Why the service is being disabled after March 5, 2025, is unknown, but perhaps it’s because Google never got on board and offered the Google Play Store on Windows with its much larger library of Android apps and games.
What do you think about Microsoft’s decision to sunset the Windows Subsystem for Android? Do you run Android applications using it on your Windows machine? Let us know on social media by using the buttons below.
Last Updated on March 14, 2024.
