Microsoft doesn’t appear to be resting on its laurels when it comes to the system that allows Windows 11 to run Android apps: the firm unveiled an update on Friday that updates the version of Android running on your computer and helps make the apps feel more at home running on a PC. The Windows Subsystem for Android upgrade is now only accessible for Windows Insiders to test, which is probably a good thing for reasons we’ll discuss shortly.
The most notable enhancement is a new version of Android that underpins Windows’ ability to run mobile apps. The current public release appears to be based on Android 11 (based on some probing with developer tools), while the version that Microsoft is evaluating is based on Android 12.1, dubbed Android 12L. That effectively means that, unless you have a current Pixel, your computer may be running a newer version of Android than your phone.