As most of you might know, Windows 11 can run Android apps. This feature is enabled by a virtualization layer called WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android). Initially, the WSA was based on Android 11. A few months ago, Microsoft updated WSA to Android 12 and later to Android 12L. A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced that it would upgrade the WSA to Android 13. The update is finally here.
In a post on Github, Microsoft announced that it is rolling out an update to the Windows Subsystem for Android. This update (2211.40000.7.0) will upgrade the WSA’s Android version to Android 13. At the moment, the update is available for only those people on Windows 11 who are enrolled in the Windows Subsystem for Android Preview Program. The stable version of the WSA might get the Android 13 update in a couple of months.
So, how does this update benefit Windows 11’s ability to run Android apps? Well, Android 13 offers a number of new features to applications to improve the user experience, and apps can implement those features by using Android’s API 33. Now that the WSA is updated to Android 13, apps can run features on Windows 11 that are enabled by API 33.
According to Microsoft, Windows 11 can open Android apps up to 50% faster than earlier. However, this performance improvement is only applicable to devices that use an SSD for storage. Plus, there are a number of performance and reliability improvements onboard. Here’s a complete change log posted by Microsoft:
- Windows subsystem for Android updated to Android 13
- Added a new command that shuts down WSA for automation
- Improvements in boot performance (50%, P10 case)
- Improvements to mouse click input
- Improvements in clipboard stability
- Improvements to application resizing
- Upgraded to Intel bridge technology for Android 13
- Reliability improvements to media files opening in Windows
- Jumplist entries for applications supporting app shortcuts