Windows Phone 8 is fi ghting an uphill battle
to catch up with its rivals, but Microsoft’s
mobile operating system could be getting
a boost in the form of support for Android apps.
There’s plenty of good hardware out there in the
Windows Phone market, but software has been its
downfall for a long time. Developers continue to
prioritise iOS and Android and will continue to do so
until Microsoft’s mobile OS has a bigger market share.
However, sources familiar with Microsoft’s have
revealed to The Verge that the company is “seriously
considering allowing Android apps to run on both
Windows and Windows Phone”.
Planning is reportedly in the early stages and
there are mixed feeling as to how Microsoft should
go about the move. Some at the fi rm simply believe
that enabling Android apps inside the Windows and
Windows Phone Stores is the answer while others
think that could signal the death of the platform.
The company wants to control the store from which
consumers download Android apps, but it’s unlikely
that it will want to handle the tricky task that comes
with supporting an additional platform. If the move
goes ahead, it will likely involve a third-party ‘enabler’.
Software fi rm BlueStacks is one possibility, since
it has been enabling Android apps on Windows for a
long time. Meanwhile, sources familiar with
Intel’s plans have indicated that the chip maker has
been pushing Microsoft to provide Android apps in
its Windows Store.
The move could well be make or break for
Windows Phone, depending on how Microsoft goes
about the process. Customers would need a very
simple way of understanding how to run Android
apps on their device and a way of developers porting
apps over would need to be created. The potential
risk is reducing developers’ desire to make native
Windows Phone apps if their Android version will
be available anyway.
It’s something BlackBerry introduced to its mobile
operating system without much success, so we’re
very interested to see what Microsoft decides. The
fi rm could make an announcement on the subject
at its Build conference in April.
