Microsoft reportedly puts Android app porting to Windows on hold

In a YouTube video posted earlier this year, Microsoft Group Program Manager Agnieszka Girling demonstrated how the Astoria emulator tool could be used to bring Android apps to Windows devices.

Mobile dev media are abuzz with news of problems with Project Astoria, part of Microsoft’s much-ballyhooed effort to provide Universal Windows Platform Bridge toolkits that let developers build Windows apps for phones – in Astoria’s case by reusing their Android code. “The Android app porting is not going as planned, “according to Windows Central’s source”. On the plus side, Microsoft will continue to move forward with iOS app porting, which will be a big help.

Unfortunately it now seems that Microsoft is running into trouble creating the Project Astoria application that would allow Android developers to easily and quickly convert their Android applications to run on Windows 10 devices. They mention the size of the Project Astoria team: it included 60 to 80 engineers, compared to just five developing Project Ironwood, the iOS porting tool. Microsoft suggested developers look at its other tools for Web (Westminster) and iOS (Islandwood) developers which it has now made ready. Windows 10 users should receive the update automatically through Windows Update, and Windows 7 or 8 users will now be able to upgrade to Windows 10 with this new update already installed.

The release of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 update, version 1511 or more popularly known as “Threshold 2“, has brought in positive changes and great updates to its features. Developers had begun to raise questions, though, as the tool was never released publicly and Microsoft had stopped talking about it.

Microsoft’s official statement from a company spokesman doesn’t deny that the Android bridge is dead, though it also doesn’t confirm it’s alive.

Microsoft now told Recode that the project is delayed and the website reports that it’s questionable whether the project will ever see the light.

Windows 10 Mobile Android apps have been something many have been dreaming would happen and back in April Microsoft hinted it might. Also included in today’s update is mobile device management for Windows 10 devices, apps and data, including integration with System Center Configuration Manager and WSUS (Windows Server Update Services).