Microsoft rolled out advanced networking in May for its subsystem for running Android apps on Windows 11 PCs. SEE: Microsoft launches Entra: A new identity and access family of products That change allowed Android apps to connect to smart devices on the same local network as a Windows PC. Advanced networking was also made ‘on’ by default for newer x64 Windows builds for PCs with Intel and AMD chips. The “huge change to networking” in the latest release of WSA includes Android app access to local network devices for ARM computers. Also, WSA now has support for IPv6 and VPN (virtual private network) connectivity, according to Microsoft’s Windows blog covering WSA’s July updates. Advanced networking allows users to set up smart home devices such as speakers and security cameras with a compatible Android app. As Microsoft explained in May, users can then play conent on a speaker on the same network, or set up a security camera or other smart home device, so long as it has a compatible Android app. Another change Microsoft notes is that WSA now has the same IP address as the host machine/computer rather than its own IP address. This change is reflected in the developer section of the WSA Settings app by the removal of the the WSA virtual machine’s IP address. Microsoft launched the WSA preview last October with support for processors from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm. With Intel technology, WSA can run apps that were made for Arm only on hardware with Intel and AMD chips. SEE: Windows 11: Microsoft gives Notepad an update it thinks you will enjoy While Microsoft has enabled IPv6 and VPN Connectivity, some VPNs still have stability issues when Advanced Networking is enabled in the WSA Settings app. Microsoft has also added AV1 Codec support, updated WSA to Chromium WebView 101, and applied the May Android kernel patches. These updates are available in WSA version 2205.40000.14.0, which is shipping to US Windows 11 users in all Windows Insiders channels. More details are available in Microsoft’s blogpost.
