Microsoft’s Plan To Port Android Apps To Windows Is Dead

[Megalith]

Project Astoria’s demise was rumored months ago, and now it is official. Microsoft has decided that it is no longer necessary due to other options for developers to make cross-platform apps.

This announcement comes just one day after Microsoft agreed to acquire Xamarin, a startup that lets developers write apps in a single programming language and then customize the software for any major smartphone platform. Instead of waiting for more progress on Astoria, Microsoft says developers should now look into using its open-source iOS migration tool, internally called Project Islandwood, or turn to Xamarin's products for making cross-platform apps.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

Might have been a good feature a few years ago when Windows Phone OS maybe had a chance.

 

[NeghVar]

Next best thing...
BlueStacks 2 - 130 Million Android Users and Counting

 

[AndreRio]

another lie!

 

[Quix]

Next best thing...
BlueStacks 2 - 130 Million Android Users and Counting

BlueStacks doesn't even run that great on a PC, I'd hate to see how it would run on a phone.

 

[Exavior]

Might have been a good feature a few years ago when Windows Phone OS maybe had a chance.

To be honest though I personally don't see the point even then. This will not let you run native apps. Instead the developers have to go and port the program them self using the tools then test it to make sure it works and fix anything that is broke. It is an easier way to port stuff that is all.

Lets compare this to backwards compatibility on the Xbox one. You recompile your game with a box checked for Xbox one support and suddenly the game works on Xbox one (with possible tweaking needed). And everyone hasn't been bothered to do that. So I wouldn't expect to see people spend the time going through and porting to the windows phone, testing it, and then adding the item to the windows store.

As a windows phone user I would have loved to see it happen, but I also am sane enough to know that if people didn't want to make stuff for all 3 before this would have not made much of a difference. There have been cross platform methods of programming forever and people haven't wanted to use them.

 

[naib]

MS have tried to break the phone market for years and have perpetually failed.

 

[Mut1ny]

They should have done what BlackBerry did and just integrate a Android runtime in the background so APK's could install and run natively.