Microsoft’s reveal event for Windows 11 dropped a big surprise: The OS will be able to run Android apps.
The support for Android apps will arrive, thanks to Intel’s “Bridge Technology,” which suggests the Android programs will run via emulation.
The Android apps can also be added to the Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar. During the Windows 11 event, Microsoft demonstrated the OS installed with the Android version of TikTok running on the desktop. The company then placed the TikTok app alongside another windowed program.
However, the Android apps won’t be served through the Google Play Store. Instead, the company plans on making the programs available by adding Amazon’s Android App Store to the Microsoft Store.
“We love this. We love that the Microsoft Store continues to be more open, inviting our developers in, inviting more apps into the store, inviting you as our customers to use any app that you love,” said Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay. The company plans on sharing more details about the Android app partnership with Amazon and Intel in the coming months.
The Android app announcement was among several features absent from the Windows 11 build that leaked on the internet last week. Another includes how Microsoft Teams is being added to the OS. The product is better known as a messaging and video conferencing software for enterprises. However, Microsoft has decided to take it mainstream to consumers by integrating the Chat function from Teams directly into the Windows Taskbar.
“Now you can instantly connect through text, chat, voice or video with all of your personal contacts, anywhere, no matter the platform or device they’re on, across Windows, Android or iOS,” Panay said. “If the person you’re connecting to on the other end hasn’t downloaded the Teams app, you can still connect with them via two-way SMS.”
Windows 11 will also contains some gaming enhancements, including a new “Auto HDR” mode that can automatically improve the color range on PC games. “We introduced this tech in our Xbox Series X/S consoles and got an outstanding response from creators and players. We’re excited to bring this groundbreaking technology to Windows 11,” the company’s Xbox team said.
In addition, Windows 11 will feature the DirectStorage API, which promises to dramatically accelerate the load times for PC games stored on an NVME SSD drive.
The other change deals with the Xbox app: Microsoft is adding it directly on Windows 11 in the hopes you’ll subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, the company’s Netflix-like game service.
Microsoft plans on rolling out Windows 11 as a free upgrade to Windows 10, starting this holiday season. The first “Insider” preview builds for the OS will roll out next week.
