When Microsoft first revealed Windows 11, it was initially missing a much-anticipated feature — support for running Android apps that worked just like native software, without explicitly having to launch something in an emulator. After extensive testing that ran for more than a year, the stable Windows Subsystem for Android, based on Android 12, arrived earlier this fall. Just like all your favorite phones, WSA is getting its own Android 13 update, available for testing now in the beta channel.
With WSA so new, developments are frequent and abundant, and this update is one we've been expecting for a while now. Microsoft has quietly dropped a beta channel Android 13 update for the subsystem (via XDA Developers). The GitHub repository details some of the changes users can expect to come across — besides the bump up to Android 13 in general:
- Added a new command to shut down WSA for automation (wsaclient.exe /shutdown)
- Up to 50% faster boot time on computers without spinning disks
- Improvements to mouse click input
- Better clipboard stability
- Improvements to application resizing
- Upgraded to Intel bridge technology for Android 13
- Reliability improvements for media files opening in Windows
- Jumplist entries for applications supporting app shortcuts
Even with this new release, some old WSA headaches remain, like limited geographic availability and the not-so-comprehensive Amazon Appstore app library. Accessing the new beta is also a little complicated, and Insiders must sign up for the separate WSA Preview program using their Microsoft account, and then wait for up to a week before the Amazon Appstore (distributed via the Microsoft Store) is updated with new features.
You must be a Windows Insider to run the stable WSA version, and a WSA Preview member to run this latest Android 13 beta. If you’re a power user, and not afraid of getting your hands a little dirty, you could always take the alternative route and set up the latest WSA.by sideloading.
Microsoft doesn’t yet say when the Android 13-based WSA will make its way to Windows 11 machines on the stable channel. Since beta testing has only just begun, we suspect a wider rollout is at least several weeks out.