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Watch: Microsoft shows us how to port Android apps to Windows 10

Published May 1st, 2015 7:00PM EDT
Windows 10 Android Apps
Image: Channel 9

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At the Build Developer Conference on Wednesday, Microsoft shocked us all by announcing that Android and iOS app developers would be able to port their apps to Windows 10. Rumors had been circulating for quite some time, but it was still hard to believe that Microsoft would cave on its mobile ecosystem until we actually saw it happen on stage.

READ MORE: 5 amazing features that have us excited about Microsoft’s HoloLens

Anyone who has ever used a Windows Phone will tell you how lacking the devices are when it comes to apps, but by giving developers a simplified process with which to port the apps to Windows 10, Microsoft might finally be competitive once again in the mobile arena.

In order to demonstrate how easy it is to use “Project Astoria,” as Microsoft calls it, the company has shared a video showing off the similarities and differences between the Android and Windows 10 versions of an app called Timber.

Finding out how much work will be necessary to get an app up and running on Windows 10 is as easy as dragging and dropping it into the analysis tool on the Windows developer portal. Microsoft will even give developers guidance on the recommended steps to take to get the app ported successfully.

If it’s really as easy as Microsoft makes it look, Windows 10 and Project Astoria are going to revolutionize Microsoft’s mobile ecosystem.

Watch the video below:

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.