In context: Microsoft has attempted for years to develop a bridge between Home windows PCs and the Android ecosystem, however the ones efforts have been in the long run alone with the introduced loss of life of the Home windows Subsystem for Android. Now, a unutilized partnership is it seems that reviving a few of these efforts for Chinese language PC customers.
Microsoft and Tencent have introduced a unutilized partnership to deliver a choice of Android apps from the Tencent App Pack to Microsoft’s personal app collect for Home windows. At forming, PC customers will apparently have get admission to to round 1,500 apps and video games, even though the mission is solely centered at the Chinese language marketplace for the age being.
Tencent apps will probably be to be had via Microsoft’s collect, the Get started Menu, Home windows Seek, or Bing, Microsoft showed. Next set up, apps and video games could have their very own shortcuts like all alternative desktop utility, however they’re going to nonetheless be Android apps via and thru. This raises the query: what precisely is Microsoft all for reaching with Android assistance on Home windows?
The corporate presented local assistance for Google’s cellular ecosystem throughout the Home windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) generation in Home windows 11. Customers may just now not get admission to all the Google Play games app providing, however just a smaller variety to be had throughout the Amazon Appstore. Microsoft has now made up our minds to deprecate WSA, turning off assistance forming on March 5, 2025.
The newly introduced Tencent collaboration apparently confirms that, in spite of WSA’s early loss of life, Microsoft hasn’t utterly give up on offering some mode of local Android compatibility with Home windows 11. The partnership was once additionally welcomed by way of Intel, which is able to lend the virtualization generation required to combine Arm-based Android apps on x86 CPUs (Celadon).
Because of Celadon, Tencent apps will it seems that have the ability to leverage the {hardware} features of built-in GPUs to bring upper body charges, an advanced optic enjoy, and AI acceleration. Intel labored with Tencent to lend an upgraded “Android engine” able to optimizing the app enjoy on PC methods.
In keeping with Tencent, the unutilized partnership with Microsoft will support the PC customers get admission to the in depth cellular ecosystem to be had in China. Tencent is without doubt one of the largest multimedia corporations on the planet and the most important investor within the online game business via its Tencent Video games subdivision. Tencent’s catalog contains one of the vital maximum usual gaming apps, equivalent to PUBG and Honor of Kings.
