Android Apps on Windows 11 Review

Will Sattelberg, writing for Android Police:

As for the app selection, it’s as bad as you might’ve guessed from the jump. Forget Google apps, obviously — they aren’t on Fire Tablets, and they aren’t here. TikTok has been predominantly featured on Microsoft’s press images for the Appstore since it was announced, and for good reason: it’s the only major social network with a listing. Forget Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter — you’re stuck with TikTok if you want to experience the social side of the web.

Games don’t fare much better. Looking at the top paid titles, I only recognized two names — and that was because I knew the Nickelodeon properties they were based on — not the games themselves. Free titles didn’t fare much better; you’ll find Subway Surfers and the Talking Tom series, but not much more. None of our favorite free-to-play titles appeared in a search: no Among Us, Call of Duty Mobile, or Roblox.

Granted, you can fill all of these absences elsewhere on Windows 11. Many of these titles have versions on Steam or the web — you don’t need the Android version of Among Us to play on Windows. The same goes for those missing apps, from Google services to social networks to recipe apps and smart home controls. It’s not hard to access Gmail these days, even if it’s not in a dedicated app, and that all begs the question: why does this service even exist?

It sounds a lot like running iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac, except at least through Apple, the selection of apps comes from the platform’s main app store. With Windows 11’s support for Android apps, you get a non-native platform experience and a poor selection of apps.

Better than nothing? Maybe. A big deal? Apparently not.

★ Monday, 18 April 2022