14 DAY TRIAL // Android apps on Windows Phone or Windows devices sounds like a blasphemy for Microsoft fans. Even though rumors about this possibility started circling around more than one year ago, few thought that the Redmond-based company would eventually allow Windows Phone users to run Android apps on their phones.
However, Microsoft did the unthinkable and announced that Android and iOS apps would be able to run on Windows 10 phones to some extent.
It's unclear how well they will work, but most Windows Phone users hope they will run much better than on BlackBerry devices. Even so, native apps will always run more smoothly on Windows Phone, which is why Microsoft made it easier for developers to port their Android apps to Windows 10.
It's common practice for Windows Phone to be the last mobile platform that gets a game or an application after it is launched on iOS or Android.
Developers prefer to be present on the most popular mobile platforms, and then, if they think it's worth it, they might bring their products to Windows Phone. That's quite understandable considering that Windows Phone market share is lower than 5% worldwide.
Developers can now sign up to Project Astoria beta testing program
The good news is that Microsoft will release new developer tools that should speed up the process of porting Android apps to Windows 10.
During its BUILD 2015 conference, the Redmond company released a short video showing how easy it will be for developers to port Android apps to Windows 10.
Microsoft continues to improve these tools under this project codenamed Astoria. The company even allows developers to sign up for a Project Astoria beta testing program, but the public version is slated for release this fall.
In other news, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 would not arrive on phones this summer, as we initially thought. This means that the first smartphones powered by the new OS might not be available until late fall.