Windows Will Have Its Own Native Android Emulator

Windows Will Have Its Own Native Android Emulator

Each operating system has its own programs. Windows, for example, is designed to work with its own software, Linux with its programs, Mac with apps compiled for Apple‘s operating system, Android with Google’s … When we need to use a program from another operating system, we often It is time to resort to emulators or virtual machines that allow us to load the system and use the program. However, this is increasingly a part of the past, especially in the case of Windows 10 thanks to its WSL subsystem.

One of the best news that has reached users after the launch of Windows 10 was WSL. The Windows subsystem for Linux allows us to virtualize a Linux distro and make use of all its tools as if they were installed natively in Windows. This subsystem initially had great limitations, but they were solved in future versions. WSL 2, the latest version, is much more versatile and gives us much better performance than the first version. But the thing does not end here.

Kali Linux WSL2 Seamless

Microsoft is working to allow us very soon to open all kinds of Linux apps, with a graphical interface, just as if we were doing it in this other operating system. But, what is even more interesting, Microsoft is working on allowing WSL users to run, natively, all kinds of Android apps directly on Windows 10.

Android on Windows 10? Why not

We have been hearing about this possibility for some time, although until now they were nothing more than rumors. However, little by little these rumors are taking shape and weight and could become a reality much sooner than we think.

A few hours ago, those responsible for developing the WSL GUI were sending a new “pre-release” version of Linux GUI support to GitHub. In it we can see two very interesting changes that make us think that Microsoft is not only working on this feature, but that its launch could be closer than we think:

  • fix android emulator window is not movable when no frame.
  • fix android emulator window doesn’t move and crash at minimize.

These two changes fix issues in the Windows Android emulator that prevented app windows from moving or could cause app windows to crash when used. The possibility of opening Android apps directly from Windows, without emulators, is not only real, but it could come to us much sooner than we think.

Project Latte for Windows 10 21H2 (or Windows 11)

On several occasions we have heard of a concept called ” Project Latte “. Thanks to him, Microsoft promised that Android developers would be able to package their apps inside MSIX files to distribute them through the Microsoft Store. Of course, this will be possible only when Windows is able to run Android apps directly from the operating system, with a native emulator included.

The main limitation that we will find in this function is that Windows (obviously) will not include the Google Play Store or the Google Play Services. And since most apps depend on them, we don’t know how useful this feature will be in the end. It’s time to wait to see it.

The new Windows Subsystem for Android will arrive with Windows 10 21H2, “Sun Valley”, which could also be called Windows 11 , along with support for Linux apps with GUI.