• Windows Phone Area
• On November 16, 2015

Project Astoria put on hold

Microsoft announced in April different tools through which developers could easily build Windows apps using their existing code for Android and iOS.

Some of the Windows 10 Mobile builds even had an Android subsystem and many users successfully installed Android apps without any modifications on their Windows smartphones. In the latest preview builds (and the RTM too), Microsoft removed the Android subsystem and stopped responding in the Project Astoria forums.

Now The Verge confirms that Project Astoria for porting Android apps to Windows Phone has been put on hold, and the company will fully focus on the iOS tool which is far more sophisticated.

While the Android bridge is just a simple porting tool, Islandwood for iOS needs developer intervention and the new Windows app is non identical to its iOS counterpart.

The reason why Microsoft abandons the Android tool is not clear, but we think there are technical, moral and legal issues. First of all, it seems that the dedicated Android subsystem inside Windows 10 Mobile causes the platform to slow down. Secondly, many old Windows developers are unhappy about the Android tool which basically ports the app to Windows Phone and the app is not universal. The iOS tool, on the other hand, is much more sophisticated and allows developers to create real Windows apps that run on the whole range of devices – phones, tablets, PCs. Finally, it is believed that Microsoft may have faced some legal issues.

Microsoft has commented that the company is “committed to offering developers many options to bring their apps to the Windows Platform, including bridges available now for Web and iOS, and soon Win32.” So, in the near future, for good or bad, you won’t be able to run Android apps on your Windows device. What do think?