One of the centerpiece attractions of the new Windows 11 is the support for Android apps. The feature was first teased at the launch of Windows 11, in June. But it was not available in any of the builds until now. Today, Microsoft officially released the Android Apps support to the insider preview via the beta channel. Yes, if you have opted for Windows 11 beta channel, then you can now try the Android apps on your PC. Here you will know how to get Android Apps feature on Windows 11 Beta Early.
Android apps compatibility is live for Windows 11 (22000.xxx) beta users. Unfortunately, it is not available to Dev and Stable Channel. As per Microsoft, it will be available to Dev Channel very soon. But on the Stable Channel, it will take time as for now only Android Apps preview is released. To use the Android Apps feature early, there are some requirements that your PC should comply with.
The Android Apps preview is currently available in the US region. But not to worry as you can set the region to the US on your PC. Android Apps support is undoubtedly the main feature of Windows 11 which is finally available in the Beta channel. And if you have been waiting for this feature since the announcement, now you get to finally test it in the Windows 11 Insider Preview.
As we mentioned earlier, to run Android Apps on your PC there are a set of requirements you need to follow. Before we head to the guide to get Android Apps early, make sure to follow these requirements:
- Your PC must be running on Windows 11 Beta (Build 22000.xxx series builds) and meet Windows 11 basic hardware requirements.
- You need to enable virtualization for your PC’s BIOS/UEFI.
- Update Microsoft Store to version 22110.1402.6.0 or higher.
- Your PCs’ region must be set to the U.S.
- Your PC must be in the Beta Channel.
- You will also need to have a U.S.-based Amazon account to use the Amazon Appstore.
Now let’s move to the guide considering you have opted for the Beta Insider Preview and your PC is running on a required Windows 11 Build.
Enable Virtualization on your PC
The Virtualization feature will be enabled on most of the PCs, so in that case, you need to follow only a few steps. But if not, then you can follow all the steps as below. The method to enable Virtualization varies according to the PC hardware as it requires to be enabled from BIOS which is different for different motherboards.
- First check here if your PC meet the hardware requirements for Hyper V.
- Boot your PC into the BIOS. You can boot into BIOS during PC startup by pressing specific function key assigned by the manufacturer.
- Once your PC is in BIOS, navigate to Advanced option.
- Now look for Virtualization and if it’s not available look for CPU configuration.
- Under CPU Configuration you will see a Virtualization (the exact name can vary).
- Enable the Virtualization option if not already. After that Save and reboot into the System.
In BIOS the Settings can be different but it will be very similar to the steps we have mentioned above. Even if the Settings placement is different, you can look for similar keywords to get to the Virtualization option. There is one more step you need to follow to complete the Virtualization Settings.
- Click on the Windows Icon or Start Menu and search for Windows features.
- Open the Turn Windows features on and off page from search result.
- Now look for Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform and check both boxes.
- Click on OK and reboot your PC when it asks.
- That’s it, you can now proceed with next step.
Change region to the US
In case if your PC is set to a different region, you need to change it to the US. It is a simple procedure. Let’s see how to change the region to the US on your PC.
- Click on Windows Icon or Start Menu and search for Settings.
- You will see Settings (gear icon) in the search result.
- Open it on your PC.
- Now navigate to Time and Language > Language and Region.
- Under Region, set the Country or region to US.
- That’s it.
Update Microsoft Store & Android Subsystem
After changing the region on your PC, you will receive the Microsoft Store update which supports Android App. So let’s see how to update Microsoft Store.
- Open Microsoft Store on your Windows 11 PC.
- Click on Library from the left sidebar.
- Now click on Get Updates.
- It will show the Microsoft Store and Windows Subsystem update. Update both to the latest version.
- You can then access Windows Subsystem settings along with the Amazon App Store.
Once done Install and open the Amazon App Store on your PC. You will need a US-based Amazon account to access the app store.
Currently, there are limited apps and games even less than 100. But the app count will increase over time. Once Microsoft extends the Android Apps support to more regions, you don’t need to change the region at that time.
So now you can easily install Android apps on your Windows 11 PC. Do let us know which is the first app you will try from the Amazon App Store on your PC.
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