This third-party app will soon let you inject Windows 11 into your Surface Duo devices
WOA Device Manager is now available via Microsoft Store.
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Key notes
- Surface Duo originally launched as a dual-display Android device during the pandemic.
- The WOA Device Manager app allows installing Windows 11 on Surface Duo.
- Microsoft has ended updates for the first-gen Surface Duo, and support for Surface Duo 2 will end in 2024.
When Surface Duo first arrived during the pandemic, the premise of this dual-display smartphone was unique. It uses Android, making it the first Surface device not to have Windows as its operating system.
But now, it seems like a few third-party developers are trying to make it possible. A first spot by Neowin details an unofficial app called WOA Device Manager, available on the Microsoft Store, which facilitates installing Windows 11 on Surface Duo smartphones.
“WOA Device Manager helps you install, update and manage Windows on your Android device,” the app’s description reads, as seen on GitHub, supporting devices like Surface Duo (1st Gen) and Surface Duo 2. It also lets you flash full flash update (FFU) files, and service drivers, reboot into various modes, and unlock your device.
Microsoft has previously killed several of its products, notably the first-generation Surface Duo by ceasing software updates, which include both feature updates and security patches. This decision means the dual-screen foldable phone will no longer receive new features or protections against the latest security threats, making it more vulnerable over time.
Now, Microsoft’s support for Surface Duo 2 is set to end on October 21, 2024, with no plans for a Surface Duo 3, as the company shifts focus to new types of foldable devices. And worse, there may be no such thing as the Surface Duo 3, especially as Panos Panay, the brain behind Surface devices, left Microsoft for good.
At launch, the first generation of Surface Duo boasts two 5.6-inch displays that form an 8.1-inch screen when unfolded, with a 360-degree hinge for various uses. From the inside, you also get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip with 6GB of RAM, with storage options up to 256 GB.
