Microsoft has unexpectedly announced that it is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) on March 5, 2025.
The announcement, which was quietly updated in the developer documentation and spotted by Windows Central, mentions that the WSA feature will soon be removed from Windows 11 and no longer be supported after March 5, 2025.
For those unaware, announced in 2021, WSA was Microsoft’s solution to bring Android apps on Windows 11, which could be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store and Amazon Appstore. This feature allowed Windows 11 users to run Android apps directly on their computers.
“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,” reads the documentation.
“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.”
In a separate blog post, Amazon too has confirmed that apps installed from its Appstore on Windows 11 devices will no longer be supported after March 5, 2025, as WSA is essential for users to run Android apps on Windows 11. However, Amazon Appstore will continue to be available and supported on other surfaces, including Fire TV, Fire Tablet, and Android devices.
“Because Microsoft is ending support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 will no longer be supported after March 5, 2025. Amazon and Microsoft are partnering to create a smooth end of support experience for developers and customers of Amazon Appstore on Windows 11,” Amazon noted.
Developers will no longer be able to submit net new apps targeting Windows 11 after March 5, 2024, but developers with an existing app can continue to submit app updates until Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 is fully discontinued.”
Further, starting March 6, 2024, Windows 11 customers will not be able to install new apps. However, they will still have access to previously installed apps and will still be able to receive app updates.
While the lack of use of Android apps on Windows 11 is being seen as the reason for Microsoft to drop support for WSA, in a statement given to Engadget, it has cited “evolving customer needs” as the reason for terminating the feature.
“As part of our commitment to meeting evolving customer needs, we periodically update our product offerings. This involves introducing new technical innovations and retiring products. Microsoft remains dedicated to an open platform and ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing to bring the best experiences and apps to Windows,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Engadget.
