Microsoft stops working on 'Windows Bridge for Android'

As such, Microsoft now plans to concentrate its efforts on the Windows Bridge for iOS.

Earlier this month we showed how Project Islandwood could be used to easily port the endless runner Canabait game from iOS to Windows 10. Microsoft hoped to solve that by building an Android emulator into Windows 10, but the recent acquisition of mobile app maker Xamarin has the company reconsidering their strategy.

Project Astoria was announced at last year's Microsoft Build, the company's developer event, but since then there has been little to no news about it. Now Microsoft has finally closed the book on the Windows Bridge for Android toolkit. To add insult to injury, Microsoft has suggested to Android developers that they should "look at the iOS Bridge" as another solution.

Microsoft announced at its Build developer conference a year ago that Android would be an app type for the Windows Store, and to help developers deliver such apps Microsoft came out with Windows Bridge for Android, also known as Project Astoria, in a limited developer preview.

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly important for businesses, and developer tools to make powerful software across platforms is vital to the modern app ecosystem.

Microsoft has highlighted mainly on the cross-platform functionality of Xamarin in its mobile app and services. The tool is open source and is available on GitHub, and has been active since August. The main motto of Microsoft company is to create the users of Windows as well as Microsoft Office for those who are using iphones, ipads, and androids phones, as Cloud -based customers so that they can use it every where.

Additionally, Xamarin has helped Microsoft in the cross-platform development of mobile applications.

Moreover, as part of CEO Satya Nadella's vision, Microsoft is gaining a stronghold on iOS and Android ecosystems. This essentially means that the Xamarin will enable developers to resuse even more code across the platforms, saving them time and effort.

Reader comments on the Windows blog were split between those who welcomed Microsoft's move and those who questioned the reason for Astoria's end.

Source: Microsoft stops working on 'Windows Bridge for Android'