Wine 3.0 for Android Released: Gives You Access to Run Windows Apps

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Wine 3.0 is the very first version which you can install as an app on your Android phone

The wine, which is a popular software that gives to access to run Windows apps on Linux and other Unix-like OS, has released its newest version to Android devices. Announced by the Codeweavers, the maker of the Wine app, its stable and official release of Wine 3.0 for Android. This has been a thing for a long time now.

Last 2016, the Codeweavers had already released a tech preview of the cross over Android for selected users only. But in January 2017, Wine 2.0 was released with much improved Mac compatibility and Microsoft Office support.

History

Wine was launched way back 1993. It is a free and open-source compatibility layer that allows computer programs developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like OS. With the help of a software library Winelib, developers store Windows applications in porting them to other systems. Wine maintains a database of compatible programs.

How to install Wine 3.0?

Wine 3.0 is the very first version users can download and install as an application on their Android mobiles. In installing Wine, users need to download either ‘wine-3.0-arm’ or ‘wine-3.0-x86’ but not the APKs. If you already installed it, users can get a full-screen Windows display, including a Start menu, and support for audio and basic graphics.

Wine only works well with x86 Android handsets and does not work with smartphones that has ARM processors. Android mobiles with ARM processors can only have apps that are ported to Windows RT. You may check such apps listed by XDA Developers forum using this link. (https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2092348)

According to the development team, this new version of Wine brings about 6,000 changes. It is the result of their hardwork and perseverance for over a year. And this is also the start of the new annual release cycle. Wine 3.0 also offers Direct3D 10 to 11 support, Direct3D command stream, Android graphics driver, and improved DirectWrite and Direct2D support.

But this new update may show some limitations. Like for example, according to Android Police, the app opened and went well on a OnePlus 5T smartphone but crashed on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S and froze on a Google Pixel mobile.