Microsoft announced at the moment that Windows 11 beta customers can now check out Android apps on their PC. But curiously, there are solely 50 apps accessible.

If you’re a Windows Insider within the U.S. and have an Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm processor powering your machine, you possibly can seize your first Android app from the Microsoft Store. However, the shop doesn’t host the apps and as a substitute will hyperlink you out to the Amazon Appstore to obtain them. You’ll want an energetic Amazon account to get began.

Like on Chrome OS, Android apps can run concurrently alongside Windows 11 apps within the platform’s various Snap Layout modes. You may even pin them within the Start menu or taskbar. Android apps will provide push notifications within the Action Center, just like how the Your Phone app, which syncs between your Android cellphone and PC, collects alerts alongside Windows apps. Microsoft additionally enabled the flexibility to share your clipboard between apps, which ought to assist make this built-in performance seem seamless.

Since this has simply entered the testing part, the apps accessible to strive are severely restricted—a mere sprinkling of a fraction of the 600,000 Android apps provided within the Amazon Appstore, and solely a crumb in comparison with Google Play’s 3 million apps. Some of the apps provided up by Microsoft I hadn’t heard of earlier than.

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“We have partnered with Amazon and popular app developers to curate 50 apps for Windows Insiders to test and validate across a broad set of hardware,” Microsoft said in its announcement, including that it’ll proceed to push by new apps within the coming months. Some of the app titles accessible embody video games like Lords Mobile and June’s Journey, studying apps like Kindle and Comics—each owned and operated by Amazon—and children’ content material like Khan Academy Kids and Lego Duplo World.

At the very least, the screenshots present full use of the added compatibility. We even see the Linux-based GIMP graphics app working alongside a Windows app, Android app, and Progressive Web App.

Microsoft will solely allow Android apps within the Beta Channel of Windows 11. It plans to convey preview entry to the characteristic to its developer channels “down the road.” As for when the flexibility will get to the remainder of Windows 11 customers, nicely, we’ll simply have to attend and see.