Developer’s trick brings the Google Play Store to the Windows 11 Subsystem for Android

Arif Bacchus

Microsoft finally delivered on the much-anticipated ability to run Android apps in Windows 11 (via the Amazon App Store) but it does have some limits in its current state. The most notable is that Google Play Services are not officially supported, meaning any side-loaded Android apps like Chrome and Snapchat will not run.

Community activists, Windows fans, and developers, though have managed to fix that and take the ability to a whole new level. Developer @ADeltaXForce falls under that category and managed to bring Google Play Store to the Windows 11 Subsystem for Android (WSA.)

This isn’t something we recommend as it could break your PC (we won’t be responsible for damages so try it at your own risk), but the developer managed to design a script that bypasses the blocks and lets you use Google Play services on Windows 11’s WSA. The script can be found on GitHub by searching for WSAGAScript. There’s also a video tutorial on YouTube as well, though do note it is very technical. The trick depends on also using the Windows Subsystem for Linux, a msixbundle, and a ton of command-line prompts. This is not for novice users, and we can’t guarantee the privacy or security of your Google account if you use scripts, either.

Anyway, it does seem like the trick manages to work. In @ADeltaXForce’s reply, we noticed that some people get it working, and others did not and experience graphical bugs. Some people also seem trapped by the technicalities of the code or other issues with the Files app.

Again, this is a super technical process, and we don’t recommend it for novice users, but it is pretty cool, to say the least. The Windows Subsystem for Android seems to be pretty powerful as it is, and opens the door for developers, and those with experience to tweak away and bring all kinds of Android apps to Windows 11.