Android support for Windows 10 Mobile delayed, perhaps forever
The Android compatibility layer for Windows 10, called Project Astoria, has been delayed – and perhaps even cancelled – with no real explanation, Ars Technica reported.
Microsoft announced at its Build conference this year that it would launch four app “bridges” for Windows 10.
These tools were meant to let developers port their web, .NET and Win32, Android, and iOS/Mac applications to Windows 10.
Ars Technica reported that the first two bridges – Westminster for web apps and Centennial for Win32 – were relatively uncontroversial.
Universal Windows Platform slide
The Islandwood bridge for porting iOS apps, and the Astoria compatibility layer for running Android apps, caused a bit of a stir among Windows developers, though.
While Islandwood required the app developer to write code to support Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Astoria allowed Android apps to run on Windows as-is.
Developers saw this as an affront, as it invalidated their investment in UWP.
Some Windows Insider previews of the new Windows 10 for mobile operating system included the Astoria bridge, but recent builds have omitted it.
Windows Central reported that the Android subsystem for Windows 10 may have been delayed indefinitely, while Microsoft only confirmed its delay.
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