Something that we’ve really come to hate is how tech companies have gone out of their way to make their mobile apps more practical to use and feature packed than their website variants (e.g., Instagram), but this discrepancy could be less of a problem for PC users in the near future. According to a new Windows Central article teasing what’s coming to Windows 10 in 2021, there have been whispers of Microsoft potentially adding Android app support to the OS very soon.
“I’m […] told that Microsoft is toying with bringing Android apps to the Microsoft Store on Windows 10,” Windows Central’s Zack Bowden wrote. “I don’t know how far along this plan is or when it’ll ship, but I’m told it may show up in the 2021 timeframe. I’ll have more to share on this soon.”
This is cool news for those of us who haven’t had much luck with some of the Android emulators out there, such as BlueStacks, which, despite being billed as being the fastest alternative on the market, has its fair share of performance problems and other bugs depending on the app. Microsoft’s implementation should be the definitive way to run Android apps on PC, assuming that it does happen.
Android app support aside, Bowden lists plenty of reasons why Windows 10 users should be excited about next year. In addition to a major fall update that is rumored to introduce a newly designed interface, Microsoft is also expected to ship a streamlined version of Windows 10 called Windows 10X, which is being described as a “Chrome OS” killer. A cloud-based version of the OS is also being planned.
As mentioned in the article, I've also heard whispers that MS is once again looking into bringing Android apps to Windows next year. I'll share more when I can, but I find it interesting that this is still something they want to do.
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) November 24, 2020