Microsoft is testing Android Apps in Windows 11

The test is for eligible AMD, Intel and Qualcomm powered devices

Microsoft has announced the first preview of the company's Android app experience on Windows 11 for the Windows Insider Program. The Redmond technology giant has partnered with Amazon and Intel for the the project.

The test will start rolling out in the Beta channel to eligible Intel, AMD and Qualcomm-based Windows devices.

In a blog post, Microsoft says the new apps will be available on the Microsoft Store and will feature apps from a variety of categories. The apps will be handled and downloaded through the Amazon Appstore, which is in preview at present.

The Android apps will support Windows 11 specific features like Snap Layouts and can be pinned to the start menu or the taskbar like Windows apps. They also support mouse, touch and pen input.

Android apps will be able to use the Action Center for notifications and are integrated into Task View (Alt + Tab) to make it simpler to switch between them. You can also use the system clipboard between Windows and Android apps.

Microsoft says that it has worked with Amazon to curate 50 apps for testing, and will be rolling out more for Windows Insiders in the coming months.

These apps run on a new Windows subsystem for Android which links to Amazon's Appstore catalog. It is based on a custom Linux kernel and the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

The subsystem runs as a layer on top of Windows 11 and operates a virtual environment for Android apps and maps runtimes plus APIs for apps in AOSP to Windows 11.