Windows 11's Android integration is getting a major update with tons of new features

Earlier this year, Windows 11 brought support for highly anticipated Android apps to those with supported hardware. You may recall that the ability to run Android apps is officially provided by the Amazon App Store. It's currently being tested for US users, and only select machines that meet system requirements will benefit.

If you're outside the United States, you can still use Windows 11's underlying Android subsystem engine, which is maintained through the Microsoft Store, to sideload and run mobile apps on your desktop. Now, at least, we can see that Microsoft is actively working on the project and is rolling out a new update with some new features.

The new update brings the version of Windows Subsystem for Android to 2204.40000.15.0, which includes several major improvements. As part of the new release, Microsoft is updating the underlying engine to Android 12.1. In other words, Windows 11 can now benefit from the latest Google technology.

You won’t notice changes immediately after upgrading to Android 12.1, more details will be released later. However, this change may cause some applications to crash on startup, and Microsoft is working on a fix.

In the new Windows Subsystem for Android, Microsoft has disabled telemetry collection by default. This option can be found in the Windows Subsystem of the Android Settings app as the "Optional Diagnostic Data" switch, which users can enable to voluntarily provide useful telemetry data about app usage.

New Network Experience

Microsoft is introducing a new network experience for Android System that makes it easy to connect Android apps to devices on the same network as your desktop.

So now your favorite content can be played on speakers on the same network. Likewise, you can use the Smart Home Android app and set up security cameras through Windows.

Redesigned Settings Page

Microsoft has redesigned the app that lets you manage Android subsystem settings.

The Settings page now uses new grouped navigation and has been redesigned from the ground up.

The update also adds a diagnostic data viewer that allows you to monitor diagnostic data collected by subsystems. You can use this to force an app to be non-resizable or to enable swiping with the arrow keys.

Windows 11 integration

Microsoft is improving the integration between Android apps and Windows 11. For example, taskbar icons can now show apps that are using microphone, location, and other system services in the system tray.

Similarly, if you use Windows 11’s auto-hide taskbar, you’ll notice that Android apps now hide/show correctly. There's another change that ensures Android toasts are reflected as Windows notifications on Windows 11, and Android activity titles are also highlighted by the app's window.

Here is a list of other new features and improvements:

• This update prevents Android applications from restarting when your desktop leaves connected standby.
• Microsoft is improving camera integration in Android apps. Camera orientation has been updated to respect natural orientation, and Microsoft has also fixed camera preview issues, including a bug where the company addressed letterboxing and squeezing of camera input.
• Microsoft is improving mouse and keyboard support. You'll notice that wheel scrolling has been improved, and Microsoft has also fixed issues with on-screen keyboard focus and Android's built-in software keyboard.
• Simpleperf CPU profiler logging is now available in WSA.
• New video hardware decoding (VP8 and VP9).
• It now uses Chromium WebView 100 for Android apps.
• Improved overall stability, performance, and reliability

Microsoft reminds us that these new features are driven by the Windows Subsystem for Android, and updates are only available for Dev Channel users, it will probably be available to the public soon.

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