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Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) was a compatibility layer that allowed Windows 11 to run Android applications natively. Current Support Status April 2026 , Microsoft has officially deprecated and removed support for the Windows Subsystem for Android. Support End Date : Official support ceased on March 5, 2025 App Availability Amazon Appstore
WSA operates by running a lightweight virtual machine in the background. Here is the technical breakdown:
Despite the official shutdown, enthusiasts still maintain ways to run Android apps on Windows:
Announced in 2021 and released with Windows 11, WSA was a compatibility layer that enabled the Windows kernel to run Android’s operating system environment. Think of it as the Android counterpart to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
While some existing installations may still function, they no longer receive updates, and many users have reported that recent Windows 11 cumulative updates have begun to break compatibility or remove the subsystem entirely. 2. Community-Led "WSA Builds"
On March 5, 2024, Microsoft announced that WSA would be deprecated and fully removed by March 5, 2025. The official reasons cited: