Android apps have historically never been good on big screens. There’s a reason why Google spends so much of its time trying to make tablets good again. From basic user interface elements to poor app support, Android software has never been fun on big tablets and Chromebooks.
Of course, Windows is a completely different beast. When Microsoft announced Android apps support for Windows 11 last year, it was unclear exactly what purpose it would serve. What gap would Android software fill on such a robust platform with decades of developer support? The answer, it turns out, remains quite unclear.
The Amazon Appstore experience
You could feel the entire Internet – or technology geeks at least – collectively rolling their eyes last summer during Microsoft’s launch event for Windows 11. When Android app support was unexpectedly announced as an addition to Microsoft’s latest OS, it was a massive surprise, a moment , which felt like it could mean something new and exciting for the future of the ever-flourishing partnership between Google and Microsoft. When Amazon’s role in this was revealed, it was like a balloon slowly being emptied into nothingness.
The first Amazon Appstore unveiling from June last year.
It may sound dramatic, but over the next ten years since its launch, the Amazon Appstore has gone from an exciting competitor to the Play Store to one also used primarily on the company’s range of cheap tablets. Many of the most popular apps you would like to run in 2022 are not on it, and when you find a service you are looking for, it is often outdated or abandoned compared to its Play Store counterpart. And the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 does not have the entire app library, so you are dealing with an even smaller pool than you would otherwise.
The Amazon Appstore does not come with Windows 11 by default, but anyone in the US can download it by going to the Microsoft Store on their device. It’s as simple as installing any other Windows app – a good start for potentially getting users on board. Unfortunately, it is unclear when it will come to users in areas outside the United States. Of course, you must have an Amazon account to log in, but the service itself is free.
It may be easy to install, but I found the browsing and use of the service not surprisingly mediocre. I’m testing this app store on a collected gaming laptop, but for some reason the Appstore felt sluggish, it took seconds to load each page and lost frames when the home screen banner changed slides. The storefront itself is barebones and offers only two basic categories along the panel on the left and a basic search bar at the top.
As for the app choice, it’s as bad as you might have guessed from the jump. Of course, forget about Google apps – they are not on Fire tablets and they are not here. TikTok has been predominantly featured on Microsoft’s press photos for the Appstore since it was announced, and with 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.
Amazon’s “Top Paid” game.
Games do not do much better. When I looked at the highest paid titles, I recognized only two names – and that was because I knew the Nickelodeon properties they were based on – not the games themselves. Free titles did not do much better; you’ll find the Subway Surfers and Talking Tom series, but not much more. None of our favorite free-to-play titles came up in a search: none Among Us, Call of Duty Mobile, or Roblox.
Granted, you can fill in all of these absences elsewhere on Windows 11. Many of these titles have versions on Steam or the web – you do not need the Android version of Among Us to play on Windows. The same goes for the missing apps, from Google services to social networks to recipe apps and smart home controls. It’s not difficult to access Gmail these days, even if it’s not in a dedicated app, and this raises the question: why does this service even exist?
If Android apps gave a good experience on Windows, it would give us a good answer. Dedicated windows for apps and services are amazing; not everyone wants to do everything inside their computer that is stuck in a single browser window. Unfortunately, Android apps are notorious for poorly supported large screens – which is why Android 12L exists after all. So when I opened the Washington Post app on my PC (it’s one of the few common services on the Appstore, thanks to the parent company), I was not surprised to see a small window take up less than a quarter of the screen. I was also not shocked to see that it asked me to “swipe to continue” on a device without a touch screen.
Look at all the wasted white space left and right.
By turning these apps into full screen, the gray borders along the left and right are extended, giving you the same amount of screen property as your phone, just higher. It’s not very useful for this kind of experience, and in a world where The Washington Post is online, it’s unclear why you would ever want to run the mobile app instead. Still, Amazon put it at the forefront and center of the website, giving it feature billing as one service for you have sample.
Between the lack of options and the limited use cases, I really struggled to see what I should get from Android apps on Windows 11. When Google added the Play Store to Chromebooks, it had a much wider collection along with a real reason to turn around for mobile apps. Windows has endless third-party apps, available either online or through the Microsoft Store. It also has games, whether you stream through Stadia or download the Elden Ring on Steam.
It’s a bad enough experience to make you wonder why it exists – something I really hoped sideloading would lead me into. After all, these are Android apps, so off Route you can find a way around arbitrary restrictions like a limited app selection.
Page loading APKs on Windows 11
If you can get the Amazon Appstore on your device, it’s quick and easy to configure the ability to quickly sideload apps by simply double-clicking an APK file. Once you have WSA PacMan installed on your computer, you open your world to everything found on sites like APK Mirror. Go ahead and grab Wyze, or Alto’s Adventure, or Gmail – though you may need to install Google Play Services on your computer to make it work, just as you would with a Fire tablet.
For the tech savvy among us, it’s a fun exercise. For everyone else, it’s a tough game. Any app that is page loaded on your computer will suffer from the same issues as the official Appstore did. Lack of controls, awkward orientations and layouts, huge edges along the sides – it’s all here. It is also far less easy to browse apps on sites like APK Mirror. It makes sense – after all, these sites were not built for app discovery – but when you look at the site as a way to compensate for how disappointing the Appstore is, it struggles to offer a good alternative.
Wyze standard size after installation.
Page loading on Windows 11 did introduce me to a single moment where I felt I had found the right tool for this service. By downloading the latest Wyze APK from the APK Mirror, I was able to view my security cameras and control my lights directly from my laptop. Of course, my phone was still within reach, but I can imagine pinning and using Wyze on my PC all day, turning on the light when the sun finally sets, or checking who’s at the door when I hear a knock on a meet.
This is not quite in full screen, but it is close enough.
I’m still not sure it’s a usecase enough to actually use it regularly. If Wyze announced a web app tomorrow, I would never open the Android version again and let it rot on my laptop until I finally remembered to uninstall it. But it is -one reason, and no matter how frustrating it may be to have to rely on side-loading APKs to get there, it’s definitely an upgrade over Windows 10.
In the end, I’m not sure there’s much reason for anyone other than enthusiasts to try Android apps on Windows 11. Most users will only experience Amazon Appstore’s library, which lacks depth and recognizable names. Those do taking the extra steps to install WSA PacMan on their PC will be met by lack of utility and polishing.
There’s no doubt that it’s a cool gimmick, and launching some classic Android software on your laptop can be a nice party trick. But overall, stick to the existing software you already trust. Whether it’s dedicated apps or a basic bookmark in your browser, it’s likely to work better.
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