Microsoft plans to launch an Android app preview, a redesigned notebook and media player, and some exciting new features next month. The company shared information about the current status of Windows 11 in a blog post and shared some of its future plans.
Product Manager Panos Panay shared some news in a blog post today (via XDA Developers). Panay discusses how much the PC has changed and what impact it has had on our lives over the past two years. He mentions hybrid infrastructure and more flexible work environments and how people rely on Windows PCs at home and in the office.
At the end of the blog post, Panay also shares the following:
“Next month, we’ll be bringing new experiences to Windows that include a public preview of how you can use AndroidTM apps on Windows 11 through the Microsoft Store and our partnerships with Amazon and Intel, taskbar improvements with muting and disabling calls, easier window sharing and bringing the weather to the taskbar, plus the introduction of two new redesigned apps, Notepad and Media Player.
Android apps are already available on Windows 11 in the Windows Insider Beta and Developer channels. Many people have also managed to get it working on non-Insider PCs, and people have even rooted the OS, and successfully installed Google Play and non-Amazon or Microsoft Store apps. It’s great to see Microsoft finally publicly preview the feature, and we can’t wait to see it live on even more machines.
The blog post also indicates that we will see improvements in the taskbar, and mute and on call icons will appear on the taskbar, which in its current state only works with Microsoft Teams. Additionally, the built-in Notepad and Media Player apps will get a fresh coat of paint and they will also support dark mode. There will also be a new entry point for the Widgets panel on the taskbar, which can display weather information directly on the taskbar.
