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Android Apps on Windows 11

blogs.windows.com

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Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#171

Post by hajile »

nikolay wrote: post #140
kumarvvr wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile games are meant for use with hands and gestures. Not sure how a mouse would be fun with that.

Windows is not macOS - it supports touchscreens and most Windows notebooks have touchscreens!

I used a pixelbook with Android apps as a daily driver for a couple years. I wouldn't use the touchscreen unless I absolutely had to.

It gunks up the screen and a mouse is just more precise.

I had the option of "tablet mode" and the pixelbook is pretty much the thinnest notebook/tablet on the market, but even it's 12" size is just too big to hold in "tablet mode" for extended periods of time.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#172

Post by anaganisk »

smileybarry wrote: post #170
anaganisk wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you comparing a wrapper around a native app(chromium) to an app running on an OS emulated on a VM, with non-physical connection to a physical drive? I guess the drive bandwidth itself would punish an app enough. Random disk reads and writes are no where near native performance. Android over vm is much worse than electron, for wide usage.

Would you say WSL2 apps are meaningfully heavier than "native"? Because I'm not sure that's the case, and this is just the same. And just like WSL2, you're running a VM with much less background services and bootstrappers. Drive bandwidth is really no concern here, you have so many Android phones with I/O much worse than computer SSDs. Not everything is a flagship with UFS 3.0+.

I’ll give you an analogy. Imagine an Engine directly connected to the wheels, rather than a drive train vs via axle and drive train. Even if the engine is the best or even the worst, there is a loss of energy happening when its not connected directly. Similarly you are putting more effort on PC to get similar performance of a mid range phone by pushing the energy via drivetrain(VM). Electron is just a wrapper around a native app. Teams is based on it. Then Teams on android running on PC would be based on an entire VM.

Wsl2 apps are not heavy, but they’re limited by the performance penalty of using a drive train(vm).

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#173

Post by anaganisk »

smileybarry wrote: post #170
anaganisk wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you comparing a wrapper around a native app(chromium) to an app running on an OS emulated on a VM, with non-physical connection to a physical drive? I guess the drive bandwidth itself would punish an app enough. Random disk reads and writes are no where near native performance. Android over vm is much worse than electron, for wide usage.

Would you say WSL2 apps are meaningfully heavier than "native"? Because I'm not sure that's the case, and this is just the same. And just like WSL2, you're running a VM with much less background services and bootstrappers. Drive bandwidth is really no concern here, you have so many Android phones with I/O much worse than computer SSDs. Not everything is a flagship with UFS 3.0+.

And apps on android are performant on phones because, there is only one app running the UI in foreground, and many OEMS cheat by killing background services. I see no sense it makes to run an Android native app when PC alternative is available. If the app has ended up using flutter or react native, the would be 3 abstracted layers deep. VM->android->js/dart vm->app

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#174

Post by sudosysgen »

smileybarry wrote: post #161
sudosysgen wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ace in the hole is TPM. What happens when Microsoft starts shipping a TPM based anticheat and DRM? That would destroy Proton forever and allow them to lockdown Windows.

That's already a problem with kernel-based anticheats, they can't run in Wine/Proton. For that, you have Valve stepping in and working with anti-cheat companies to find some middleground for Linux: https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/valve-making-linux-anti-c...

These anticheats are being ported to Linux by valve. If it was Microsoft's anticheat working in a TPM itbwoiodht impossible.

Also, Microsoft is already a DRM vendor with the Windows Store.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#175

Post by kumarvvr »

Osiris wrote: post #153
kumarvvr wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I don't know a lot of people who would like to touch their Laptop screen. Its just not convenient. I am saying that as someone who got excited by the thought and actually bought a Dell touchscreen laptop. In laptop mode, its just not worth it.

My wife and kids touch their screens all the time. I often reach over my wife's shoulder and tap a button or something on the screen rather than reaching for the trackpad. It may not be that useful for your particular use case but that doesn't mean it's not useful for others.

I do agree that the quality of the experience also matters.

Dell touchscreen was complete shit. Especially when I was used to iPads.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#176

Post by cturtle »

thekyle wrote: post #131
cturtle wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe Venmo since there is no desktop/web client. It frustrates me that Venmo has become so popular in my circles when it’s smartphone-only. I have a smartphone so I’ll keep using it there, but I could imagine some might appreciate the option to run apps like Venmo on a PC.

The Venmo website allows you to send and receive money just like the app.

Good to hear! Last I checked (around a year ago iirc) it wasn't possible.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#177

Post by com2kid »

unicornporn wrote: post #27
symlinkk wrote: post #26

What do people use features like this for?

Was just about to ask the same question. I can't come up with a single Android app I'd like to run on desktop. Is it just an app development thing?

Plenty of board games have android only apps that let you play multiplayer, but no web or windows app.

So that is one use case! They even tend to support tablet layouts.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#178

Post by madeofpalk »

geogra4 wrote: post #116
madeofpalk wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft already sells an Android "phone" https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-duo

Surprised with this they didn't do like Amazon and make a ms version of android

They supposedly worked with Google on this, which rules that out.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#179

Post by treesknees »

criddell wrote: post #72
treesknees wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about this makes you think that? Microsoft cares about getting Android _users_, I don't think they care that much about the Android OS beyond their rather poor implementation on the Surface Duo.

Microsoft at least appears to be interested in Android. To me it feels like Google has lost interest in the product.

I'm asking what makes you feel that way? Google is actively releasing new Android versions (Android 12 announced yesterday) full of new features. In what way does that make you feel that Google has lost interest in Android?

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#180

Post by WorldMaker »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #87
babypuncher wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't see how their Android app support or WSL could realistically go from extend to extinguish. I don't think Microsoft's MO is to completely dominate your entire stack anymore. They just want to make sure they form some critical piece of it so you can't get rid of them.

If Microsoft extends their Android implementation to provide new features before Android itself does, and these features become popular, then all Microsoft would have to do is start putting out their own "Android" phones to begin eating the market. WSL, I'll admit, will be trickier to convert. However, they have decades of experience at this so don't put it past them to figure it out.

Given Microsoft is using/embracing Amazon's replacements for "Google Play Services" isn't the threat here more that Amazon might finally extend Android after a decade of trying and failing?

(Whether or not you agree that "Google Play Services" is already that EEE play, the incumbent, seemingly not going anywhere, and Microsoft/Amazon are playing underdog in this game.)

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