Microsoft Reportedly Working On Windows Phone Compatible Android Apps

We have seen how companies like BlackBerry have allowed Android apps to run on its platform. Granted it’s not the most optimized experience one can have, but if you wanted a particular app that wasn’t available for BlackBerry OS 10, then you would at least have this option. Now according to a report from Neowin, it seems that Microsoft is looking to offer its Windows Phone users a similar option as well.

This isn’t the first time we have heard that Microsoft was looking into that functionality although it seems that even after a year, Microsoft still has not given the feature a greenlight to ship alongside the Windows Phone platform. Instead it seems that Microsoft is developing the feature more as a backup plan in the event that universal Windows apps fail to catch on with developers.

However there are other reasons as to why Microsoft is said to be a bit hesitant about launching the feature. One of those concerns is a legal one as Google could sue Microsoft if they were to allow a Google Play app to run on Windows Phone without any modifications. Considering that Microsoft is currently accepting a lot of royalty from Android OEMs, we’re sure Google would be more than happy to take this opportunity to get back at them.

The second concern has to do with the long term survivability of their mobile platform. Microsoft is still betting that their universal app platform will be what lures developers to them, but if they allow Android apps to run on Windows Phone/Windows 10, then developers would not really see a need to develop for Windows Phone/Windows 10 to begin with. No word on if/when Microsoft will announce this feature, but the next BUILD conference would be a safe bet.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, Rumors
Tags: Android, Apps, Microsoft, Windows Phone