Windows Subsystem for Android gets July 2023 update

Microsoft is rolling out a new update (version 2306.40000.1.0) for its Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) on Windows 11. The update is available through the Windows Insider Program and includes several fixes and changes to help improve Android apps on Windows 11.

According to the announcement, the update introduces various fixes and improvements regarding the camera, full-screen mode, and picture-in-picture. This rollout also brings changes to networking and to the share user folders feature. Furthermore, this update ships with the Linux kernel version 5.15.104, stability improvements for ARM devices, and security updates for Android 13.

WSA July 2023 update changes

Here’s the list of changes for the WSA version 2306.40000.1.0:

Camera compatibility improvements.
Fullscreen mode with F11 now displays a hover taskbar to improve the mouse and touch experience.
Local networking (under Advanced settings – Experimental features) is now replacing “Advanced networking”. Android apps can connect to devices on the same network, on all versions of Windows, respect Windows firewall rules, and work with VPNs.
Share user folders (under Advanced settings – Experimental features) now gives users the option to change their default shared folder.
The subsystem will now prompt if an app is trying to use permission that the subsystem does not have.
The subsystem has switched from EROFS to EXT4 for read-only disks.
Fix for OneDrive folders not showing up in Android apps.
Support for drag and drop for more file types.
Improvements to picture-in-picture (new UI buttons when in PIP).
Partially running mode is now enabled by default for devices with at least 16 GB of memory.
Stability fixes for ARM devices.
Linux kernel updated to 5.15.104.
Android 13 security updates.

In addition to the updates for the platform, Amazon has also announced that the Amazon Appstore for Windows 11 is no longer in preview, which means that now it’s generally available to everyone. If you’re a developer, you can also download the Amazon Input SDK to access the tools to make sure that your Android apps can run at optimal performance on Windows 11.

The Windows Subsystem for Android update should download and install automatically. However, you can always download it manually from the Library’s page in the Microsoft Store app and by clicking the “Get updates” button. You can use these instructions to install WSA on Windows 11.