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Former Microsoft CEO Says Windows Phone Can Be Saved Only by Android Apps

Universal apps won’t work, Steve Ballmer says in interview

Dec 3, 2015 06:08 GMT  ·  By
Steve Ballmer stepped down as Microsoft CEO in 2014
   Steve Ballmer stepped down as Microsoft CEO in 2014

Windows 10 Mobile is just around the corner, and both Microsoft and its loyal users hope the new release can actually support the company’s smartphone efforts and improve its market share, but the former CEO Steve Ballmer thinks otherwise.

In a recent statement for Bloomberg, Ballmer explained that Nadella’s new strategy of focusing as much as possible on universal apps for Windows 10 won’t work, pointing out that, for the moment, support for Android apps that can be used on Windows devices is the only way to save the platform.

Universal apps are developed to be used on a wider array of devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs, sharing the same code and design, with the UI automatically adjusting to screen size and resolution.

Nadella and his leadership team at Microsoft are pushing for universal apps to be more widely adopted by developers across the world, but Ballmer says that even though this is indeed a good idea, running Android apps is what Windows Phone needs right now. This can help address the lack of apps in a much more effective way, he suggested.

Project Astoria

Running Android apps on Windows phones is not a new concept, and Microsoft was aiming to make this happen with the help of Project Astoria.

This new set of tools, announced earlier this year at BUILD and actually implemented in Windows 10 Mobile preview builds (before eventually being removed once again) allows app developers to bring their Android software on Windows with minimum code changes, thus supporting the migration to Microsoft’s new platform.

Sources close to the matter, however, revealed that Project Astoria has been put on hold by Microsoft because development didn’t work exactly as expected, and since the source code available in Windows 10 Mobile preview builds has been removed too, many believe that the company might actually give up on this plan entirely.

Microsoft is yet to confirm any change of plans for Project Astoria, so as long as the company is concerned, bringing Android apps on Windows phones is still a priority.