One of the more remarkable features Microsoft announced for Windows 11 was support for Android apps. However, the feature didn't make it to the operating system's launch, but it's arrived now on the Windows Insider Beta channel.
In a blog post, Microsoft said, "Today, we are announcing the first preview of our Android apps experience into the Windows Insider Program. We are proud to deliver this experience with our partners -- Amazon and Intel -- to Beta Channel users in the United States on eligible devices running Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm platforms."
While this is quite exciting for Windows Insiders on the Beta channel, it's a bit of an odd decision from Microsoft to skip the Dev channel, as that's generally where new features launch first. The typical path for a new Windows 11 feature is the Dev channel, Beta channel, and the release version.
Odd release aside, this is still exciting because it means that we're getting close to Android apps coming to all Windows 11 installations.
Right now, there are 50 apps available for Windows Insiders to test, so you can get a feel for how Android apps will run on Windows 11, but this won't be the full set of apps available when the feature is ready for release. Some of the apps Microsoft named include Lords Mobile, June's Journey, Coin Master, Kindle, Khan Academy Kids, and some others.
Microsoft didn't announce when Android apps would leave the Windows Insider program and come to the final Windows 11 release, but hopefully, it won't be too long. Android apps are a handy way to expand the functionality offered by Windows.