Android apps on Windows Phone? No

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Despite the few specific denials that Microsoft has made about recent rumors, there is one that is beginning to be repeated with more frequently: the possibility that Windows Phone will allow running Android applications through a virtual machine. This was pointed out by prestigious editor Tom Warren of The Verge, and now also by Ars Technica&39;s Peter Bright, who ironically refers to this feature as Windows PhOS/2ne, after OS/2, an IBM operating system. that it could run Windows applications."

This would be accomplished through some form of virtualization of the Android system within Windows Phone, which would allow apps designed for the OS from Google will run inside Windows phones without major complications. This may well seem like an advantage when one of the weaknesses of Windows Phone is the lack of applications However, there are many reasons to think that, if realized, it would be a measure that ends up having a negative effect for the Microsoft ecosystem.

If I wanted to use Android apps, I would have bought an Android

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At first, it can be considered that this measure would be a mistake because it would reduce the user experience that Windows Phone currently offers. Many of us who prefer a Windows phone over an Android phone did so because we value the fluidity and good experience that this operating system delivers.It is an OS where things just work, Apple-style, but with the advantage that we have more hardware options, which adapt to different needs (while Apple follows the philosophy of one size fits all at all costs). "

To accomplish this, Microsoft has established careful rules regarding the hardware required for Windows Phone, and has set standards for theinterfaces of applications are consistent with each other and with devices. Along with that, Windows Phone devices also enjoy a higher level of software optimization over hardware, allowing for the same specs, Windows Phone to be faster and smoother(something that is especially noticeable in the low and mid range).

When using virtualized Android applications all that is lost. We are talking about applications that will not even take into account the physical buttons of the equipment with Windows Phone, their standard screen resolutions, or that there is some degree of consistency with the interface and the way of using the rest of the operating system.Apps that will not integrate at all with other system features (such as Cortana, Windows Phone 8.1 Contacts Hub, and so on) and probably won't even will take advantage of dynamic live tiles, the most essential of Windows Phone's differentiating features. These do not appear to be applications that we are going to enjoy using very much.

In addition, the cases of the Amazon App Store and the BlackBerry Playbook show us that trying to close an application availability gap by using Android applications is far from being a safe bet In the case of Amazon , applications require certain minimal adjustments to be in the company's App Store, which means that the number of apps available for Amazon devices is still much less than what is on Google Play (and as if that were not enough, the applications that exist are updated much less frequently).

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In the case of the BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM managed to successfully implement something similar to what Microsoft would like to do now: make it possible to install and run Android apps on your tablet without much hassle other than pressing an Install button. Did that convince users to buy RIM&39;s tablet? No. And in part I think that&39;s because if someone is looking to use Android apps, they&39;ll go for a tablet that runs real Android. "

To compete with that, a company must offer a differentiated product, possessing unique features, while trying to close the app gap by captivating developer interest. That's what Windows Phone is doing (correctly) so far, with some ups and downs, but with a long-term trend that clearly points to up, in especially regarding quantity and quality of applications… which brings us to the next point.

A bad sign for developers

Someone could argue that it doesn't hurt anyone that there is the possibility of running applications from another operating system through a virtual machine. If such a possibility does not interest us, we simply do not use it and we stay the same, right? Well it's not quite like that The measure would generate enormous damage to the Microsoft ecosystem because disappoints developers' expectationsthat currently work with Windows Phone.

Microsoft should seek to make investing in Windows Phone pay more than investing in other platforms

Microsoft would be increasing the potential market of all Android developers, allowing even those who have not invested a single minute of their time in Windows Phone to compete and take market and income away from those who have been on the platform from the beginning.That clearly puts incentives to create more apps for Android than for Windows Phone, or put more effort into them and update them more frequently. Remember that the number of applications is not the only metric that matters, as there are cases of applications, such as Instagram, that are on Windows Phone, but have fewer functionsbecause their developers spend less effort than their iOS or Android equivalents.

This is what must be fought. How? Looking for it to pay to invest in Windows Phone, and if possible to pay more than invest in other platforms. And increasing the potential market for Android apps does the exact opposite.

In fact, if Microsoft is in the mood for crazy strategies, there are even more reasons to try the exact opposite: implement a system so that Windows Phone apps can run on AndroidThus, every time a developer creates an app for Windows Phone, it could also be installed on the hundreds of millions of devices that run Google OS, but it would always be Microsoft users who would get the best experience.

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It might also make sense to implement something like this, but to have it work only on the Nokia X range, which would fit with the Trojan Horse strategy: have users buy Nokia Xs looking for something with Android, but that they end up getting so used to the interface and services of Windows Phone that when having to buy a new terminal they go for a Lumia"

There are other things that urgently need to be improved in Windows Phone, why waste time on this?

The last reason why Microsoft shouldn't be devoting itself to getting Android apps to run on Windows Phone is because time and development resources within the company are limited , and therefore moving in one direction implies to stop doing something elsePersonally I think it's much better that the man-hours of Microsoft engineers go to projects like achieving greater integration between Windows and Windows Phone (very much in line with what that Apple has presented in OS X Yosemite and iOS 8) or other improvements that you yourselves have suggested in Xataka Windows.

In short, by betting on this strategy, Redmonds end up degrading (in multiple ways) the user experience of a platform that has cost them so much effort to build, all in pursuit of short-term sales objectives. They incentivize developers to spend more time and resources on Android than on Windows, and on top of that, they lose time that could be spent creating other enhancements that users would value.

It is a move that disappoints the expectations of almost all the actors who have bet and believed in this operating system.A full shot in the foot, so I personally cross my fingers that the rumors about this are just that, rumors.

Image Credits | TCAWirless