Microsoft has announced a major update to its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). Promising significant performance improvements on both x86 and ARM processors. The update was rolled out to Windows Insider channels on February 9, along with a new build of Windows 11. According to Microsoft, the update (version 2301.40000.4.0) delivers improvements to the camera experience, graphical enhancements, better overall reliability, and bug fixes, as well as a boost in performance.
Estimates suggest that the update could deliver performance improvements of up to 50% on systems equipped with Intel or AMD processors. With an increase of up to 20% on ARM machines. Microsoft arrived at these figures by measuring framerates delivered in benchmarks.
Android performance on Windows 11 takes a big boost
The Windows Subsystem for Android is a software layer that allows users to run Android apps on a Windows PC. It is part of Microsoft’s strategy to link its OS to Google’s mobile operating system. The system makes it simple to run Android apps available in the Amazon Appstore directly on a PC.
Gizchina News of the week
The latest update brings a range of enhancements to the WSA platform. One of the most significant improvements is improved audio input latency and reliability. Which will enhance the experience of using Android apps that rely on audio. The camera experience has also been improved, with camera metadata now exposed to camera apps. And framerate performance has seen a boost of between 10-20% on ARM machines and 40-50% on x64 processors.
In addition to these improvements, the update also fixes bugs that caused issues with zooming out in apps using a touchpad or mouse. The update also includes platform reliability improvements. And users can expect to see the latest version of Chromium WebView (up to version 108) included. Global microphone and camera privacy options now sync between Windows and Android apps. And there are Android 13 security updates.
Overall, the update promises to deliver a significant performance boost for the Windows Subsystem for Android. Making it easier and smoother for users to run Android apps on their Windows 11 PCs. The improvements in audio and camera functionality, as well as the increased framerate performance, are particularly welcome. And are likely to enhance the experience of using Android apps on a Windows machine. It remains to see how users will receive the update. But it is clear that Microsoft is making a concerted effort to integrate Android functionalities into its Windows operating system.
