To Microsoft sent Superficial Duo with Android it should have run a special version of Windows called Andromeda OScreated specifically for devices with two screens. This plan was quietly canceled many years ago.
Now, thanks to a build leak and some serious developer effort, you can finally see what Microsoft has been working on and even try it out for yourself.
For the uninitiated, Andromeda OS was a Windows 10-based platform that looked and felt very similar to Windows Phone, complete with live tiles and a Start menu designed to fit across two displays.
Initially, Microsoft considered it as the software basis for the first dual-screen models. hardware, including the first Surface Duo. But in 2018 the company closed the projectswitching to Android instead to avoid rebuilding the mobile app ecosystem from the ground up.
How Andromeda OS made its way to the Surface Duo
According to Windows Centerthe canceled software remained hidden until an unfinished build appeared online. Developer Gustave Mons took this build and successfully ported it to the original Surface Duo. He also mentioned that the port is not working on Surface Duo 2 due to lack of driver support.
If you want to try you can download build Andromeda OS as an FFU file and follow the flashing instructions posted on the Monce website. GitHub. But consider this a warning that the process will erase your Android data and the setup is not beginner-friendly.
Once installed, the device can technically run on both Android and Windows using shared internal storage, although a PC is required to boot Windows. The available version is unstable and obviously incomplete, but it provides a rare glimpse into Microsoft's abandoned vision for mobile devices. This was probably Microsoft's last major attempt to reimagine Windows on mobile devices, and now you can see for the first time what could have been.
In its current state, the build is unstable and unfinished, but it provides a rare glimpse into Microsoft's abandoned vision for mobile devices. Andromeda OS looks like the company's last major attempt to reimagine Windows on phones, and a reminder of how different the Surface Duo could be.
For those wondering what a modern Windows Phone might look like, here are some layout designsdemonstrating how Microsoft's mobile past and speculative developments continue to capture the imagination.
