Microsoft introduced a set of enhancements to the Windows Subsystem for Android, a service that allows you to run Android apps on your Windows PC. The update is available for preview testing, and new features include network or storage support, picture-in-picture functionality, and general configuration and security sections, among others.

The Windows Subsystem for Android, or WSA, was one of the big news announced for Windows 11. Like other promised components, it wasn’t available at launch, and Microsoft had to rush its development. The last major update was to mark the jump to Android 13, and then came another specific one to improve performance on Intel and AMD processors.

In case you haven’t tried it yet, explain that WSA is similar in concept to another of the Windows subsystems, the one dedicated to Linux or WSL. Although it arrived much later than expected, its usage potential is greater because it covers hundreds of millions of mobile Android users who in turn use Windows on the desktop. Once activated, WSA allows you to install and run Android apps as if they were native Windows apps.

And indeed, app icons appear in the Start menu, taskbar, and other places, and apps launch in windows that can be resized or moved. It supports ARM and x64 PCs with at least 8GB of RAM. WSA does not officially support the Google Play store (only the Amazon store supports it), but it can be used unofficially and installed on Windows 10 using third-party tools.

Windows Subsystem for Android: what’s new

Microsoft emphasizes that the update includes new features requested by users. There’s a little bit of everything as you will see in the release notes:

• Security update for Android 13.
• The Linux kernel has been updated to 5.15.104.
• Advanced network support. It allows Android apps to connect to devices on the same network on all versions of Windows, respect Windows Firewall rules, and work with VPNs.
• Full screen mode with F11 now displays a floating taskbar, improving mouse and touch experience.
• Picture mode (PiB) improves with new user interface buttons.
• Improved camera compatibility in apps that use it.
• Drag and drop support has been extended to more file types.
• Subsystem moved from EROFS to EXT4 for read-only disks.
• Users can now change their default shared folder.
• Fixes for OneDrive folders not showing up in Android apps.
• Stability fixes for ARM devices.
• Partial boot mode is now enabled by default for devices with at least 16GB of memory.

If you want to try out the new features that are coming to the Windows Subsystem for Android, you can sign up here to try them out as they are in the preview stage.