Android Apps on Windows Phone

Is it possible to enjoy Android apps on Windows Phone ?? May be true in future because Microsoft is considering allowing Android apps to run on Windows Phone, according to anonymous sources talking to The Verge. This is a possible strategy to make Windows Phone more attractive, as popular and trending apps often come to it later than on Android and iOS. However, it's only a rumor and there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of this happening.

The number of apps available for Windows Phone is increasing, but still falls way behind Android and iOS. Giving users the option to run Android apps might both encourage new users, and convince current ones to to stick with Windows Phone. On the other hand, that risks further reducing the incentive for developers to make native apps for Windows Phone, which would lead to it falling further behind.

While apps like BlueStacks allow users to run Android apps in Windows, emulating the entire Android OS in Windows Phone would be impractical and inefficient. Google is increasingly tying features to GMS (Google Mobile Services), which includes APIs for Maps, location, in-app purchasing and malware scanning among others. Without Google Play and its associated services, many apps are useless, and its hard to imagine Microsoft deciding to integrate GMS into Windows Phone.

Further still, Microsoft is working hard across its different operating systems to give them the same feel. Allowing apps designed for Android onto Windows phone would ruin the Windows experience with different interfaces and norms taken from Google's mobile OS.

At first glance, the idea of 'Android apps on Windows Phone' may seem attractive, but it's hard to understand who it would benefit. It would threaten the future of Windows Phone, spoil the user experience, and require the integration of Google Play services to work properly.