14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft took everyone by surprise earlier this month when it announced the all-new Surface Duo, but the totally unexpected thing wasn’t its capability of making phone calls, but the fact that it runs Android.
Not using Windows is for many a decision that’s pretty difficult to understand, especially because at the same event, Microsoft also took the wraps off Windows 10X, an operating system that’s first and foremost built with dual-screen devices in mind.
Which is exactly what Surface Duo is as well, so launching a dual-screen device not running your dual-screen operating system is uncanny.
All of this has apparently made Microsoft confused as well, as the official Windows Developer Twitter account left many baffled when it said that UWP apps can also run on Android.
The folks in charge of the Windows Developer account were asked by an actual Windows developer what happens with UWP apps now that the company decided to install Android on the Surface Duo.
“Please tell me if I can install my app UWP on Surface Duo. Why Android OS and not Windows X on Surface Duo? It’s ridiculous. It’s true?” the Gianfranco Percopo asked the Windows Developer Twitter team.
UWP apps on Android. No, wait…
And here comes the funny part.
“No worries, Gianfranco! Although Surface Duo will come with Android OS, due to the Windows 10 Mobile end of support you can install UWP apps in Android devices,” the Windows Developer account tweeted.
So what does Windows 10 Mobile end of support have to do with UWP apps on Android? And what’s more, what do UWP apps have in common with Android in the first place?
As the team tried to explain a bit later, it was actually referring to Xamarin support in Visual Studio, something that nobody would have guessed from the original tweet.
In the meantime, the tweet has already been removed because, you know, there’s no reason such a blunder should remain online.