Windows 11 was one of Microsoft’s most ambitious operating systems yet. The update featured a slew of new features, like the Weather and News apps, a revamped start menu, and a full-screen mode for Microsoft OneDrive. Windows 11 also introduced the Windows subsystem for Android, which allows PCs to run Android apps. The latter is now actually an established feature with the next release of Windows 11 and it will only improve with Android 13 OS support.
The Windows Subsystem for Android is an open-source virtual machine preinstalled on Windows. It’s currently based on Android 12L, but Microsoft says it will soon be upgraded to Android 13 in the future. The company posts its roadmap of features on GitHub and has recently added capabilities that are sure to get users excited. They include the ability to play YouTube and Google Play content, favorite a webpage to see it in your speed dial browser, use Siri with Maps or Bing to find restaurants nearby, and have multiple accounts.
Android 13 just launched on Pixel phones, and Samsung only started rolling out the update to some versions of the Galaxy S22 in late October. It’s not the biggest update – most of the user-facing changes in the form of enhanced theme support – but it won’t matter if you’re running Android on your PC. The key updates are system optimizations and API updates. It’s refreshing to see Microsoft working so hard to keep up security with Android. Many Android-on-Windows projects have fallen behind, which makes running apps frustrating.
In addition to updating the WSA to Android 13, Microsoft plans to add a file transfer support making it easier for Windows Insiders to move files. This will also make it much more convenient with adding the Network Discovery Options feature which will allow you to easily access networked devices from your PC or one of the new type of “Wi-Fi Networks” coming soon.
A new planned feature is shortcuts, a popular Android feature, which lets apps link to specific functionality. For example, a messaging app can provide a shortcut to a frequent contact that saves you from navigating through the app’s menu options. Another convenience feature on the way is picture-in-picture mode. That means, on Windows machines with Android media apps installed, you’ll have an easier time using your favorite media app with Windows in view.
The roadmap doesn’t provide any proposed dates or a general timeline for these improvements. Microsoft was only a few months behind implementing Android 12L, and it recently opted to change the way it releases updates for Windows. No more will we have to wait for major semi-annual releases to get new features. So, we can expect the WSA enhancements to arrive whenever they’re ready.
