Windows 11, with its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), allows users to access almost all popular Android apps directly from the Microsoft Store.

The WSA on Windows 11 mirrors the functionality of the Linux Subsystem for Linux (WSL), enabling seamless transition from Android apps to the desktop operating system.

Today’s update introduces several important improvements to the Windows Android subsystem. First, improvements have been made to camera compatibility, improving the experience of using Android apps that require camera access.

A significant update has also been made to fullscreen mode. Fullscreen mode with F11 now shows a hover taskbar to improve the mouse and touch experience. This feature will improve the usability of Android apps in full screen mode.

According to release notesother improvements in the update include:

• Camera compatibility improvements.
• Fullscreen mode with F11 now shows a hover taskbar, improving the mouse and touch experience.
• The introduction of LAN in Advanced Settings – Experimental Features. This feature replaces “Advanced Networking”, allowing Android apps to connect to devices on the same network on all versions of Windows, honor Windows Firewall rules, and work with VPNs.
• Users can now change their default shared folder with the Share User Folders option under Advanced Settings – Experimental Features.
• The subsystem will now ask you if an application tries to use a permission that the subsystem does not have.
• The subsystem changed from EROFS to EXT4 for read-only disks.
• Fixes have been implemented for OneDrive folders not showing up in Android apps.
• Drag-and-drop support has been extended to more file types.
• Picture-in-picture mode has seen improvements, including new UI buttons in PIP mode.
• Partially running mode is now enabled by default for devices with at least 16 GB of memory.
• Stability fixes have been introduced for ARM devices.
• The Linux kernel has been updated to 5.15.104.
• Security updates for Android 13 have been implemented.

Windows 11 incorporates new virtual machine technology to address compatibility issues with Android Open Source Project (AOSP), an open source software stack.

Thanks to AOSP, Windows 11 does not require Google Play Services support and most apps work perfectly on the desktop OS. Android apps work on Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm (ARM) devices, with Intel Bridge Technology functionality used on all Intel PCs.