Windows 11, which launched on October 5, did not have the promised native Android app integration Microsoft has announced that the feature will not be fully operational until 2022, as noted in our review of Windows 11 Today, the company announced that it will begin beta testing a limited number of Android apps on Windows 11 through the Windows Insider Program in partnership with Amazon and Intel

Starting today, the first preview of native Android app support will be rolled out to Windows 11 users in the US who have registered in the Windows Insider Program's Beta channel This preview provides access to 50 native Android games and other apps from the Amazon Appstore

"Running Android apps and games on Windows 11 will feel familiar, effortless, and integrated

"Many of the Windows accessibility settings also apply to Android apps, and we're working with Amazon to further improve them" [A newly introduced component called Windows Subsystem for Android allows Windows 11 to run these Android apps natively [The subsystem includes the Linux kernel and the Android OS based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) version 11 It will be distributed through the Microsoft Store as part of the Amazon Appstore installation and users can keep updated over time as we continue to add more APIs, features, and scenario support," the blog post It reads "The subsystem will run within a Hyper-V virtual machine, much like the Windows subsystem for Linux, and the app runtime and APIs in the AOSP environment will be mapped to the Windows graphics layer, memory buffers, input modes, physical devices, virtual devices, and sensors Understand how to map

This is potentially exciting news for Windows 11 users who frequently use Android apps previews of Android apps appear to be rolling out gradually to beta testers, and Microsoft is working to ensure that all Windows 11 users will have to wait until 2022 to fully deliver on its promise to support native Android apps, but we are now beginning to see how it will work

If you are not in the Windows Insider Program and would like to join, here is how

First, make sure your PC can support Windows 11 These are the basic system requirements for Windows 11:

You can then join the program from Microsoft's Insider Program page or from the Windows Update utility

For the latter, go to Start Menu > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program > Get Started Then link your Microsoft account, select Beta Channel, and press Confirm Follow the subsequent prompts (you will probably need to restart your PC) and you are ready to go

For more detailed instructions, see the complete guide on how to join the Windows 11 Insider Program

Once you have signed up for the Beta channel of the Windows Insider Program, make sure you have the latest version of Windows 11 (Beta channel) and the latest version of the Microsoft Store app in order to check out the Android app preview Windows 11 Beta channel) and the latest version of the Microsoft Store app in order to check the Android app preview

To update Windows 11, simply go back to the Windows Insider Program menu (see guide above) and make sure you are on the latest build the Android app preview is currently on build 22000XXX (not the last 3 digits, The 22000 part is important) is only available to

Once you are in the Beta channel and have updated Windows 11 to the latest build, you need to make sure the Microsoft Store is updated Simply launch the Microsoft Store app, go to the Library and click the blue "Get Updates" button in the upper right corner If the Store app needs an update, the update will be applied Once the update is complete, you will need to restart the Store app

At this point, the Android app may appear in the Microsoft Store At this point, you should be prompted to download the Amazon Appstore Preview, which is a beta version of the Amazon Appstore running on Windows 11

After downloading the Amazon Appstore Preview and logging in with your Amazon account, you should be ready to check out a preview of what a native Android app will look like on Windows 11