Microsoft’s good relationship with Android It’s been a staple in recent years. We’ve seen this with Enlace Móvil (formerly Your Telephone), which offers many more connectivity options between Windows and Android than are available on iOS (although we understand this is also due, at least in part, to very restrictive policies from Apple). And we saw even more of that when Microsoft announced the Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows 11.

However, The journey of Android apps on Windows has not been as smooth as expected. Although the Android subsystem arrived strong, a series of bad decisions, led mainly by a very limited offer of attractive applications, began to mark its retreat. Finally, in March of this year, Microsoft decided to eliminate the feature globally, putting the future of the Android ecosystem on hold in its operating system. Now, with a new approach and support from Tencent, Microsoft seems determined to regain that lost ground.

As we can read on TechSpot, Tencent has become a strategic partner of Microsoft to bring Android apps to Windows 11. This move represents a clear commitment to reviving a segment that could attract both casual gamers and retro game enthusiasts, and of course users of other types of apps, especially in the Chinese market where Tencent has a dominant position. This marks a significant departure from the previous collaboration with Amazon, which was focused on accessing applications through its store.

It is important to note that this movement marks a definite change from the original alliance with Amazonwhich was a strategic partner in the WSA phase. The global withdrawal of WSA in March 2024 marked the end of this collaboration, and this new partnership with Tencent represents a strategic shift towards a model more focused on games and specific markets such as China. This raises questions as to whether Microsoft will expand this new phase to other markets or whether it will be limited to this particular geographic area.

The integration of Tencent’s gaming ecosystem promises to be the key to attracting developers and users to the Windows 11 environment. In addition, the fact that Microsoft maintains its commitment to gaming as one of the cornerstones of its operating systems strategy reinforces the importance it places on the sector, both for traditional devices and for hybrid laptops and tablets.

Finally, this decision to revive Android support in Windows can be seen as another step in the competition to offer complete cross-platform experiences. Although no details on data or global availability have been given yet, the partnership with Tencent hints at it Microsoft does not want to miss out on the opportunities offered by the Android ecosystem.