Thanks to a joint effort with Amazon and Intel, the upcoming Windows 11 OS will support Android apps natively. But shortly after Microsoft announced the new feature, many were left wondering if Android apps would work on PCs with AMD or ARM chips. Now, Intel and Microsoft confirm that the technology works with non-Intel CPUs.
Windows 11 runs Android apps natively through Intel Bridge technology. Intel Bridge is actually a bit complex, but all we need to know is that it translates Android applications into x86 instructions. In a statement for The Verge, Intel confirms that this technology works “across all x86 platforms,” including AMD.
A separate statement from Microsoft clarifies that Android apps will also work on ARM-powered Windows 11 computers. While the company hasn’t shared any details, ARM machines will probably run Android apps without the Intel Bridge translation layer, as Android apps are specifically designed for ARM. (A separate tool may be used to contain Android apps, though.)
When Windows 11 launches “this holiday season,” users can fire up the Microsoft app store and download Android apps. But we still don’t know how well Android apps run on Windows 11, or more specifically, how they work on AMD and ARM systems. Hopefully Microsoft includes this feature in developer builds, which we will test and report on.
Source: The Verge