We reported a week ago that Microsoft had removed WSATools, an APK installer for the Android Subsystem for Windows 11, from the Microsoft Store for no clear reason.

Developer Simone Franco was then contacted by Microsoft to resolve the issue, which Franco said was “legitimate” but did not develop further.

Now Franco has finally revealed the reasons for the deletion and they seem somewhat trivial.

One reason was that the app only worked for Windows 11 insiders, and only in the United States, where the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) was available. This dependency was not clear from the list, Franco writing:

the first is that the app should work for the majority of users since the app is based on WSA, this is a feature only available in Insider + US only versions, so it won’t work for many people (regularly / not initiated users and even users outside the US)

This problem was easily resolved by specifying the dependencies on WSA in the list.

The second issue was that the app failed Microsoft’s automated certification process. Franco released the app privately anyway, but the app was ultimately likely automatically removed by further automated certification checks.

“From what I understand, WSATools had one of these automatic certification checks the day after Update 0.1.56, and it was removed,” Franco noted.

The last was related to the name, with Microsoft believing that WSATools may appear to be an official tool.

Franco writes:

WSATools has… WSA. Microsoft doesn’t like it, even though “WSA” isn’t a registered trademark, but I understand why. They don’t want the app to be believed or misunderstood as official.

Microsoft suggested that the name be changed or that the listing make it clear that the app had nothing to do with Microsoft.

Franco believes the app will become publicly listed once these issues are fixed, but it remains available privately here.

via Neowin