Solving the Windows Phone app gap has been a constant challenge for Microsoft. Developers making third-party copies of apps available on other mobile platforms have been shut down. First-party developers have shut down their WP ops as well. And those dual-booting Windows/Android devices that we kinda wanted for a hot second? Didn’t go far with them, huh?

Well, if you have the hardware you want and have preview build 10512 of Windows 10 Mobile installed, you can now have the means to port in Android apps. How’s that for a solution?

One XDA developer was able to push chmod adb commands to load not only .apks onto his phone, but Google Play Services and the Play Store.

There was always a bit of sausage-making to the process: previously, you’d need to copy the sideloaded .apk dump into either partition or binary and then reboot the phone. Depending on how many Android apps you want in your phone, this can become a bit tedious.

But if you’re a diehard tinkerer who prefers Windows as your homeslice, the results of this development may be well worth it.

Then again, maybe not. There are reports of keyboard failure and media playback not working among other bugs inherent in the concept. But that’s part of the journey in discovering the rabbit hole of cross-platform app-loading.

We don’t know if this loophole will get patched, so if you’re looking for an Android adventure on Windows 10 Mobile, get on to it.

Editor’s Note: We have updated the story with further interpretation from WMPowerUser.

Source: XDA-Developers

Via: WMPowerUser