14 DAY TRIAL // One of the biggest changes in Windows 11 concerns Microsoft’s approach regarding content listed in the Microsoft Store, as the company wants more apps and games to become available for its users.
So in addition to the items currently available in the Microsoft Store, the Redmond-based company is also making its platform play nice with the Amazon App Store, therefore bringing Android apps to Windows 11 users.
This means Microsoft itself doesn’t have to build a separate store for Android apps or populate its existing store with mobile applications, so in the short term, it’s easier for both the company and its users to make the most of the arrival of Android apps on Windows 11.
Microsoft Store overhaul
But at the same time, Microsoft is also hoping that more content listed in other stores would make its way to the Windows 11 store. Including games on Steam and the Epic Games Store, that is, with Panos Panay telling The Verge in an interview that everybody is welcome to join this effort.
“Windows already in many ways hosts those stores, and if we can host it through the Microsoft Store then of course,” Windows and device chief Panos Panay told the cited source. “For sure, it means as others want to come to the Store, they’re very welcome. As a matter of fact, encouraged, and that’s kind of why we’re building out some of these policies.”
In the long term, Microsoft’s intention is pretty easy to decrypt: the company wants as much content as possible to be available in its store, therefore making it easier for Windows 11 users to find what they need. Even if this comes down to connecting the Microsoft Store to third-party stores.
Windows 11 is projected to go live in the fall, with a preview build to launch next week for insiders.