Has Microsoft Canned Project Astoria?

Future of Tool That Brings Android Apps to Windows In Doubt

Project Astoria, Microsoft’s code name for its Android app porting tool, looks like it might have been kicked into the long grass, with Microsoft shifting its focus to iOS instead.

It was only back in April of this year that Microsoft announced their plan to port iOS and Android apps to Windows.

Now however, it looks like the Android part of that equation may have been shelved, possibly permanently.

Tech sites Windows Central and The Verge have revealed that Microsoft’s plans to port Android apps to Windows has run into some obstacles.

According to The Verge:

“…the company has pulled back on dedicating employees to Android app porting, favoring the iOS route instead.”

On the other the hand, Windows Central reports have claimed that Project Astoria has been put on ice, indefinitely.

Microsoft Stay Ominously Quiet

Microsoft itself has yet to officially declare that the project has been cancelled. But the prognosis from tech sites, and some apparently nameless Microsoft sources isn’t optimistic.

Recent Windows mobile preview builds appear to have had the Android parts of Project Astoria removed. Microsoft also no longer seem to be answering questions on the public Project Astoria forums either.

Several previous news stories about the Astoria ‘bridging’ tool has speculated that Astoria would have helped to open up Windows devices to Google’s wealth of apps, and specifically Windows Phones as well.

In a YouTube video posted earlier this year, Microsoft has seemed too take great pride in showing how Astoria would bring Android apps to Windows. The video showcased how Timber, a popular Android app could be emulated on a Windows-powered Lumia 1520 smartphone.

The intervening months do not appear to have been kind to the project.

So shelved permanently, or just delayed indefinitely?

Your guess is as good as mine. Android apps may not be coming anytime soon, but it is still not certain if Microsoft is going to retire the Astoria project, or if the bridging process has turned out to be more complicated that Microsoft had originally envisaged.