Will Microsoft bring Android apps to Windows 10?

After Microsoft had to admit defeat to the top dogs iOS and Android with its mobile Windows, an integration of the most widespread operating system Android could now be imminent. This article shows what that could look like and what alternatives are already available today.

Project Latte brings Android apps to Windows 10

The Microsoft project, known under the code name “Project Latte”, is not the first attempt to make Android apps run under Windows. There was already a “Project Astoria”, but it was never completed. This time it could be different. The Windows Phone has now been buried and people are turning to Android in many areas.

If the project is completed this time, developers should be able to add their apps to the Windows Store. And with little or no change to the code. The compatibility will be available on the software side through Windows.

For this purpose, the apps are packed in MSIX format, a package format for Windows apps. It is supported by the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which in the coming year will also include support for GUI, i.e. a graphical user interface. One elementary function is missing here, however, which could make porting games uninteresting. Google Play Services are not supported. However, this is not due to the inability of the programmers, but simply to the guidelines of Google, which allow these services to run exclusively on Android systems.

If the rumors are to be believed, it should be ready in autumn 2021. But what options are currently available for using Android apps on Windows?

Bluestacks Android Emulator

I work with this emulator in the free version on my Windows computer and thus use an app that is not available for Windows. A complete Android device is simulated, which has to be started beforehand in order to then use an app. The great advantage of this solution is that it is a complete Android operating system and therefore Android-specific features such as Google Play Services also work. I have already described the Bluestacks emulator in detail in another article.

NOX App Player

The NOX App Player is also a complete Android environment on the desktop. I tested it in the free version and played my favorite game at the time. It has been available not only for Windows but also for Mac for some time.

Here, too, the full range of functions, including Google Play Services, is offered. If you want to play not only applications but also Android games on a PC or Mac, you will not be able to avoid one of these emulators in the coming year.

Windows 10 app “Your smartphone”

There is a free app in the Windows Store that can be used to link the smartphone to the desktop. However, it is not a real emulator. Instead, only a mirroring of the display is offered. But even this feature is not supported by all Android smartphones.

Why Android Apps on Windows?

This question may be justified. After all, pretty much everything is available for Windows and mostly in a much more complex scope. But pretty much doesn’t mean everything. In addition, more and more people are working on the move and do not want to do without the apps they are used to. I feel pretty much the same. I use a task and appointment scheduler on all mobile devices and on my Mac, which is synchronized with each other and offers everything I need. Unfortunately, this app is not available for Windows. Since I also need task management when I work on my Windows computer, I set up the app using an emulator. This works, but always requires the start of a virtual Android environment, which is not particularly fast.

One or the other might like to continue playing their favorite games on the desktop computer and would also be happy if this opportunity existed. Should Microsoft complete its project this time, it could be done directly under Windows without emulators.