Android apps are still Plan B for Windows on mobile (but there's a Plan C, too)
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The rumor has come to the fore repeatedly that Microsoft would be working to make Windows Phone, and now Windows 10,can run applications for Android, and thus alleviate the problem of the lack of apps (and few updates of those that are available) that drives some users away from the platform of Redmond.
"The last thing we heard about it is that the so-called universal apps (now called apps for Windows) would be Microsoft&39;s first bet to solve this problem, so the idea of emulating apps from the store of Google would be relegated to the role of plan B, in case the first alternative does not work."
Now, sources close to Neowin reveal that even though Redmond is committed to the success of the universal app platform, they are still actively working on a system that allows Windows run applications from the Android catalog
The latest builds of Windows 10 for mobile would already be able to run Android applicationsAccording to these sources, the technical aspects of the idea would already be almost resolved, so the latest builds of Windows 10 for mobile would already be capable of running Android applications. However, Microsoft has remained cautious about implementing this functionality, due to its possible legal and strategic implications
The legal implications have to do with the possibility of receiving a lawsuit from Google, under the argument that the emulation created by Microsoft would be violating patents and other intellectual rights of the Mountain View company.While other companies (such as RIM and its BlackBery PlayBook) have managed to implement something similar without being confronted by Google, this case would be different, as the big G company could use this case as a tool to offset the charges Microsoft makes to Android manufacturers for patents
And the strategic implications have to do with something we've already said several times around here: once Windows Phone users can run and even buy apps published on Google Play, What incentive will developers have to create new apps specifically for Windows Phone? As Rudy Huyn said at the time, the long-term effect is likely to be that the Windows Store ends up overrun with apps Emulated Android (which would offer a poor user experience), added to a drastic reduction in the number of native applications, which are the ones that offer the best experience.
Plan C: Making it easier for Android developers to build Windows apps
Given these 2 drawbacks with the famous plan B, it is possible that Microsoft is considering a third alternative, which had already been suggested by Rudy Huyn himself a few months ago. It&39;s about getting Android developers to start using Microsoft development tools, such as Visual Studio, and from there making it easier to create native Windows Phone apps for from code they have already written for Android applications."
This would be achieved by using the C multi-device apps option>published apps on Windows would still be native, and therefore would perform better than if we were facing Android apps forced to run within the Microsoft platform."
Whatever strategy Microsoft adopts, we should have more details about it at the Build 2015 event on the 29th of April.
Via | Neowin, WMPowerUser
