Intel and Tencent Collaborate to Drive Android Software Integration on PCs

The two ecosystems of PC and mobile phones are expected to integrate further.

On May 23, Intel and Tencent App Store released the App Store PC version, which is compatible with Android software in the Chinese market for the first time, and can run native Android applications on PCs, covering Windows 10 and Windows 11.

This is the first time in the Chinese market that a large company has promoted native compatibility between PC and Android software in a non- "analog" way. According to Intel, with the help of its special compiler and other tools, Android applications can run on x86 devices and support Windows, Linux, and other operating systems.

Let mobile applications run on PCs and open up the two platform ecosystems. Many domestic companies have tried before. Xie Xiaoqing, vice president of Intel's Software and Advanced Technology Division and general manager of China, said that in China, whether it is an established PC manufacturer or an emerging manufacturer migrating from the mobile phone industry, they have successively launched different versions of mobile application-compatible products, or Android emulation products. In an attempt to seamlessly migrate the Android application ecosystem to PCs, Intel has seen market potential.

Intel's Android-compatible technology solution has already landed overseas. Windows 11, launched by Microsoft in 2021, is the first time that the Windows series of operating systems are compatible with Android software and can run native Android applications on PCs. Due to Microsoft's cooperation with Intel and Amazon, users who search for Android apps in the Microsoft app store will directly enter Amazon's app store and download Android apps.

Another major technology giant, Google, also has a corresponding plan to support running Android applications in a simulated mode on its own Chromebook computers and try to promote the direct running of Android games from the Google Play Store on Windows. "How to make cross-software ecological applications run on the PC platform; I think everyone has the same idea through different routes." Xie Xiaoqing said.

However, Microsoft and Google have yet to promote the implementation of the corresponding Windows system running Android software solutions in the Chinese market, and no giants have entered the market yet. "We waited for more than three months to see what their strategy in China is." Xie Xiaoqing said that overseas giants' relevant Android compatibility solutions have yet to land in China, prompting Intel to start trying in the summer of 2022. Cooperate with Tencent.

In this regard, Cai Jiantao, head of Tencent's Yongyongbao computer version business, said that since last year, the team had shifted part of its business direction to PCs and launched the Yongyongbao computer version to expand the market.

According to Cai Jiantao, from the perspective of experience, Android applications run relatively smoothly on PCs. Using QQ reading as an example, he said that after the application is downloaded and installed, it can be started and used like a computer program, which is simpler than the emulator solution. In addition, Android applications can seamlessly call devices such as Bluetooth, camera, keyboard, and mouse when running on a computer.

Jiemian News reporters tried the computer version of Yingyingbao at the press conference. They ran some Android applications and found that the response speed was fast, the operation was smooth, and the compatibility was high. However, some popular applications and games on mobile phones still need to be included. Product software adaptation speed still needs to be improved.

For mobile application developers, users from personal computers may become a new increase in market expansion. "Android developers can gain additional benefits with a lower workload and easily extend Android applications to PC scenarios. Android users can enjoy large-screen, multi-window, and immersive mobile applications on PCs. experience." Lakshminarayan Krishnamurthy, vice president of Intel's Client Computing Division and general manager of China, told Jiemian News.

Cai Jiantao said that Tencent would continue cooperating with Intel to create development standards and optimize the ecological environment, such as content access and adaptation specifications for Android PC applications. "We will attract developers and follow Intel and us when producing content." Develop the corresponding features in advance to ensure that the product has a good experience on the PC side."