Microsoft releases preview of Android apps on Home windows 11 by way of Amazon partnership

Microsoft is releasing a preview of Android apps running on Windows 11 starting today. It’s a first for Windows, made possible by a Microsoft partnership with Amazon and Intel.

The preview is rolling out in the Microsoft Store to Windows 11 users in the Windows Insider Program Beta Channel, starting with a “curated experience” of about 50 apps. The company says it will release additional apps through Windows Insider Program updates in the months ahead.

It’s enabled by a new Windows Subsystem for Android, a component on top of Windows 11 that allows the Amazon Appstore and Android apps to run on the PC operating system, according to a Microsoft blog post.

Here’s how the company describes the experience:

Running Android apps and games on Windows 11 will feel familiar, effortless, and integrated – just as you would expect. You can easily run these apps side-by-side with the help of the new Snap Layouts feature, pin them to your Start menu or Taskbar, and interact with them via mouse, touch, or pen input. Android apps are also integrated into Alt + Tab and Task view to help you quickly move back-and-forth between the apps that matter most to you. You can see notifications from Android apps notifications in the Action Center or share your clipboard between a Windows app and an Android app. We have built the experience with accessibility in mind; many Windows accessibility settings apply to Android apps and we are working with Amazon to deliver more improvements.

Here are more details for Windows 11 users who want to give it a try.

Previously: Windows 11 is here: Key points to know as Microsoft rolls out its new operating system