Android Apps Are Back in Windows 11 Search - Streamed From Your Phone, Not Installed

Microsoft shut down Android apps on Windows 11 last year, but they are quietly coming back - through the search box, streamed from your phone.

In a new Windows 11 test build, typing the name of an app on your Android phone into Search shows it as a "Mobile App" result. Click Open, and the app runs on your phone while its screen appears in a window on your PC.

Nothing gets installed on Windows. Here is how it works, which phones it needs, and how to get phone apps on your PC today without waiting.

What Windows Latest Found

Windows Latest spotted it on a Surface Laptop running an Experimental Insider build, linked to a Samsung Galaxy A26. Typing "Bluesky" showed the app from the phone, and Open launched it in a Phone Link window on the PC.

Microsoft has not announced this part officially. Its 30 October build notes only mention calling, texting and Do Not Disturb from Search - we cover those in what's new in Windows 11 Search.

Is This the Old Android App Store Coming Back?

No. The old Windows Subsystem for Android ran apps from the Amazon Appstore on the PC itself. Microsoft switched it off in March 2025.

This new trick is different. The app runs on your phone and your PC just shows its screen, a bit like a remote control with a big display. It needs your phone nearby, switched on and on the same Wi-Fi.

Which Phones Work?

It uses the Phone Link app that is already in Windows 11. According to Microsoft, the apps feature works with:

• Select Android phones from Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo and Xiaomi that come with Link to Windows built in.
• Android 10 or newer.
• The same Wi-Fi network as your PC.

iPhones can link to Phone Link for calls and messages, but they cannot stream apps. A phone that handles calls is not guaranteed to stream apps either.

How to Use Your Phone's Apps on Your PC Today

You do not need the test build. Phone Link has let supported phones open apps on the PC for a while - Search is just a faster way in.

• Open Phone Link on your PC. Type "Phone Link" into the Start menu and pick Android.
• Scan the QR code. Open Link to Windows on your phone (on Samsung, swipe down and tap the Link to Windows tile) and scan the code on your PC screen.
• Allow the permissions. Your phone asks to share notifications, messages and screen access. Say yes to the ones you want.
• Open the Apps tab. Your phone's apps appear in a list. Click one to open it, or right-click to pin it to Start or the taskbar.

Better Options for Some Apps

Many popular apps already have a proper Windows version, which runs faster and does not need your phone. Music is a good example - the free Spotify app for Windows beats streaming the phone version.

Want real Android on a PC, with no phone at all? Our guide to running Android from a portable SSD shows a free way to do it without touching Windows.

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