Microsoft Corp. plans to update Windows 11 next month with the public preview version of a feature that will enable users to run Android apps.

Panos Panay, chief product officer for Microsoft’s Windows + Devices division, detailed the upcoming feature today. The executive stated that the company will also roll out improvements to the Windows 11 interface as part of the update.

Microsoft first debuted Windows 11, the newest iteration of its ubiquitous operating system, last June. One of the most technically ambitious features that the company announced at the time was the ability to run Android apps. The feature is the result of a collaboration with Intel Corp., whose central processing units can be found in most Windows machines.

Intel worked with Microsoft to develop a system that allows Android apps to run on Windows machines powered by its chips. The system is known as Intel Bridge Technology. It overcomes the technical challenges that historically made it difficult to run apps written for Android handsets on other types of devices. 

Developers turn their code into applications with the help of a software tool known as a compiler. It translates code into instructions that a device’s processor can understand. What historically made running Android apps on Windows difficult is that a personal computer processor can’t necessarily understand instructions created for a mobile device chip.

Most Android devices use processors based on Arm Ltd. designs, while Windows machines for the most part ship with Intel silicon. The chip firms’ respective processors use two different instruction set architectures. As a result, applications created for Arm devices can’t run on Intel machines and vice versa.

Intel Bridge Technology solves the challenge by recompiling Android app code from its original, Arm-optimized format into instructions that can run on a Windows machine with an Intel chip. Microsoft stated that Windows 11 will also make it possible to run Android apps on computers that use Arm and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. processors.

Intel is not the only company with which Microsoft has partnered to deliver the upcoming Android app support. It also teamed up with Amazon.com Inc. on the project. Windows 11 users will have the ability to access Android apps from the online retail and cloud computing giant’s Amazon Appstore.

Alongside the ability to run mobile apps, the update that Microsoft plans to release for Windows 11 next month will bring a number of interface enhancements. The company will roll out redesigned versions of the Notepad and Media Player apps, as well as an improved taskbar.

The announcement of the update comes a day after Microsoft posted financial results for its fiscal second quarter. The company reported that Windows OEM revenue jumped 25% from the same time a year ago. The Windows Commercial segment, in turn, experienced a 13% sales increase. Windows is part of Microsoft’s More Personal Computing business, which grew revenues by 15% year-over-year to $17.5 billion in the second quarter.

Image: Microsoft