A few months ago, Microsoft announced the discontinuation of the Windows subsystem for Android in March 2025. Bad news for those of us who use a service that allows you to run Android apps on your Windows PC. However, a recent partnership with Chinese tech giant Tencent has raised hopes for its survival, certainly in China and let’s see if in more regions.

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 speed up its development. On the occasion of the jump to Android 13 and after a specific update to improve performance on Intel and AMD processors, we could discover its potential.

Its concept is similar to another of the Windows subsystems, dedicated to Linux or WSL, its potential was huge as 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. Unfortunately, their support will end next year. Given the number of widely dispensable services and applications that were developed for Windows 11, its termination was surprising.

Maybe there is salvation. The collaboration between Microsoft and Tencent can bring mobile apps from the Tencent App Store to the Microsoft Store. While there is no explicit mention of the WSA, some details suggest its continuity, at least for the Chinese market.

Information suggests that “tencent app store desktop version” will come out for technology stack very similar to WSA. This includes Intel Bridge Technology (IBT) and Celadon, both important for running ARM applications on Windows x86 machines, which is exactly what WSA does. In addition, the base version of the Android operating system used by the desktop version of the Tencent App Store matches the latest version compatible with WSA: the one mentioned with Android 13.

There is a strong case for the WSA’s continued presence in China. Unlike other regions, China has a much larger population interested in running mobile games on their computers. This high demand probably justifies the WSA’s continued operation. Although its global future is pessimistic, the partnership between Microsoft and Tencent suggests that at least in China, they could continue to enjoy this subsystem to run Android apps on their Windows PCs.