How to load Android apps on Windows 11 Android subsystem

So I just configured Windows Subsystem for Android on your Windows 11 Computer. You can’t wait to play a file favorite android apps directly on your computer, but there is a problem! Microsoft has partnered with Amazon to bring the Amazon Appstore to the Microsoft Store, which means you can’t officially access the Google Play Store’s vast library of apps and games on the original Windows subsystem. To put salt in the wound, not all Amazon Appstore apps are available on Windows 11 right now – The list is limited to 50 apps curated at the moment.

Compatible with Android apps on Windows 11

Fortunately, Microsoft provides the Windows subsystem for the Android environment with a workable debugging option. As a result, you can access and debug the Android core layer from the host Windows 11 using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) binary. because we can Use ADB to install any installed package for Android apps (APK), it is also possible to load apps on the Windows of the Android subsystem that are not in the Amazon Appstore.

How to load apps on the Windows subsystem for Android

Keep in mind that the entire Windows subsystem for Android is beta quality software. The applications run by Amazon and Microsoft are likely to be very optimized for the environment, which is why they were able to secure their seats in the first batch. However, there are plenty of other Android apps out there that should work just fine once it’s out of its package. The only way to test for compatibility is to sideload it, and this is where this tutorial comes in handy.

To load an Android app on Windows 11 for the Android subsystem, follow these steps:

1. Download the APK of the desired app or game from a trusted source.
   1. If this is a community-developed project, see the corresponding discussion thread at XDA Forums or similar platforms.
   2. APK files of open source apps can often be found through the GitHub repository or in stores like F-robot Moreover.
   3. Finally, there are third-party APK hosting resources like Mirror APK And APKPure, which is worth searching for.
2. Once you have the APK file, start the Windows Subsystem for Android Environment. Click on the Start menu, click on the All Apps button and select the shortcut labeled “Windows Subsystem for Android™️”. You can also type “subsystem” in the search box to make it faster.
   
3. At this point, you should see the Windows system settings screen for the Android subsystem. Scroll down and turn on the Developer Mode toggle.
   

   

   

   

4. Since this Android instance is running with the host Windows kernel, we can access it through the localhost interface (127.0.0.1). In fact, the Android layer is also associated with a random IP address from the private network 172.30.0.0/24, which appears under the IP address field.
   • If you don’t see the IP address as 172.30.xx, tap the Files option at the top of the settings screen to launch the Android layer by opening the built-in file explorer app. Then click on the Refresh button to get the IP address listed. You can now copy it with a click of a button.
     

     

     

     

5. Once the Android layer is up and running, we can connect it using ADB from the Windows 11 host operating system. You can either use localhost (127.0.0.1) with port 58526 or the IP address specified in the settings window to establish the connection. Since you have configured ADB for Use it from anywhere on your computer, open a new Windows Terminal window, and type one of the following options:

   adb connect 127.0.0.1:58526

   where
   

   adb connect 

   (The IP address is the address you copied in the previous step)
   

   

   

   

6. We can now install the required APK file through ADB. It should be as follows:
   install adb
   

   

   

   

7. If all goes well, a shortcut for the Android app will be created in the Windows Start menu just like any regular Windows app. Click the shortcut to start the application.
   

   

   

   

   • If you can’t find the Android app shortcut, you can run it manually with the following command:

     %LOCALAPPDATA%MicrosoftWindowsAppsMicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_8wekyb3d8bbweWsaClient.exe /launch wsa://

     For example, to run Subway Surfers, enter the following into the Windows Run prompt:

     %LOCALAPPDATA%MicrosoftWindowsAppsMicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_8wekyb3d8bbweWsaClient.exe /launch wsa://com.kiloo.subwaysurf

   • You can also invoke the application directly from a connected ADB shell window:

     adb shell monkey -p  1

     To start Subway Surfers, for example, the command should be:

     adb shell monkey -p com.kiloo.subwaysurf 1

     

     

     

8. This is it!

Note that side-downloaded apps will have network access, which means you can install and use the Android variant of popular browsers like Firefox in Windows for the Android subsystem and then use it to download apps right away. Windows 11 also allows you to apply firewall rules to Android apps. While it is possible to load an app that depends on Google services, it will crash when you try to run it due to lack of Google services, although you can try to use Micro G As a possible alternative solution.

What do you think of the Windows subsystem for Android on Windows 11? Have you ever started using it to play your favorite Android games on your PC? Let us know in the comments section below.