Why did Microsoft choose Amazon over Google for Windows 11 Android support?

Microsoft annoyed more than a few Android fans when it revealed that Windows 11 would run apps from the Amazon Appstore rather than Google Play. Why limit PC users to a small selection of apps that may leave out some of their favorites? Was Amazon the last resort after Google rejected the idea?

Microsoft doesn’t give many official answers. Sources said, however Android authority that Amazon’s move brought “incredible benefits” to customers and that it was good to work with a number of technology partners in the name of “choice and fairness”. While the company indicated it was just beginning its “journey” with Windows 11, we wouldn’t expect a surprise Google deal to expand the Android app catalog.

As is so often the case, the truth can be more nuanced than you think. While Google may not have taken the chance, Microsoft likely had practical reasons to choose Amazon’s portal for serving Android apps. It’s all about which reasons were the most compelling – some of them are more logical than others.

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A marriage of convenience

For one, this isn’t Microsoft’s first dance with Amazon. Microsoft bundled Alexa with Windows 10 in 2018, and Amazon returned the favor with shortcuts like Alexa’s Skype support. It wouldn’t be a problem for Microsoft to ask Amazon for support for Android apps as the two are already pretty cozy.

It’s also no secret that Microsoft and Amazon have a common enemy: Google. Both companies have strong competitive reasons for snubbering Google, be it Microsoft’s determination to destroy Chrome OS or Amazon’s desire to offer alternatives to Google Play and the Google Assistant. This team-up gives Microsoft the desired Android support in Windows and Amazon the desired prominence without flowing money into the main rivals of the two technology giants.

And yes, it could have been a simple matter of money. Amazon and Google are huge corporations, but Amazon isn’t nearly as dependent on the App Store as Google is on the Play Store. Regardless of whether or not Google was considered, Amazon could have offered a cute (read: low enough) price that Microsoft didn’t have to think twice about who would be delivering Android apps to Windows users.

Bad blood on Google

As this enemy of my enemy factor implies, Microsoft hasn’t had a particularly warm relationship with Google over the years. Furthermore, the rivalry between Chrome OS and Windows is just the beginning – the two have argued over mobile operating systems, voice assistants, and search engines. After years of feuding, why would Microsoft tap Google for Android apps in Windows, especially when that feud was particularly bitter at times?

See also: Here are all the Chromebooks that can run Android apps

Take Windows Phone for example. Microsoft desperately wanted a YouTube app for Windows Phone, to the point where it wrote its own client, even though Google wouldn’t voluntarily make one. Google was quick to block YouTube access on the platform, and Microsoft was just as quick to accuse Google of hindering Windows Phone to give Android an unfair advantage. Microsoft probably wasn’t ready to speak to the company that may have torpedoed Windows Phone with an app, let alone its usual competitive tactics.

That’s not to say Microsoft and Google will never work together. The two worked together on the Chromium-based Edge browser and the pursuit of true web standards. However, Microsoft could be more than a bit sensitive when it comes to asking Google about the Play Store integration. It might have viewed the inclusion of the Google Shop as an admission of defeat or at least as funding for a directly competitive product. Amazon gave Microsoft the ability to offer what many wanted (running Android apps on a Windows PC) without the shame of giving Google what it wanted.

Google may not have been receptive

This assumes that Google was even ready to install Android apps on Windows 11. That would have ruined at least one of the main advantages of Chrome OS while it was fueling Windows. Google may not like that Microsoft turned to Amazon, but at least it may be happy to know that app store choices limit every possible benefit.

There may have been other considerations. Google may have been concerned that delivering Android apps through Windows would devalue Android itself by making it a seemingly disposable platform. If virtually any non-Apple device can run Android apps, what are the benefits of using a device designed for Android? This helps preserve some of the cachet for Android phones, Android tablets, and Chromebooks.

And yes, Google might have its pride in thinking about it. Some may view official Android support in Windows as an act of desperation rather than power, a fear that Chrome OS alone might not successfully popularize mobile apps on the desktop. On the other hand, if Google had spoken to Microsoft at all, it might have decided that it would be better to claim Chrome OS for a smaller market share than to imply that the software couldn’t stand on its own.