WSA clones/modifications - legal issues? Safety issues?

pokeefe0001 · Aug 31, 2022

I have need to run just one Andriod app on my PC - the Comcast XFinity Mobile App - and it is available only through Google Play. There are a number of web hits mentioning how to get Google Play on Windows. All I've seen require replacing WSA with a modified version. Most refer to a modified version that used to be available from GitHub but has been taken down due to policy violations. (I've seen no further explanation.)

While I would like to be able to run this app, I have concerns.

Are there any legal issues in creating and delivering a modified version of WSA?
Are there any legal issues in running Google Play on an unauthorized platform (whatever "unauthorized" might mean)?
Seems like a brand-x WSA look-alike could be a great way to deliver malware

Are there any safe and legal ways to run Google Play on Windows?

pokeefe0001 · Aug 31, 2022

Never mind (for now). There is supposedly a way to get the XFinity Mobile App through the officially supported Amazon AppStore. I just found a web stile that (supposedly) say how to do that.

pokeefe0001 · Sep 1, 2022

I need to retract my retraction. I don't see a way to edit postings or I'd completely strike out my previous one.
The web posting claiming that the XFinity Mobile App was available through Amazon AppStore was imagining things, and I can find no mention of a native Windows version of the Xfinity Mobile app.

I took a gamble and installed the BlueStacks which does have Google Play. I could download and run the Xfinity Mobile app, but I couldn't log onto my Comcast account ... making the application useless. (I don't know whether that was a problem with the XFinity, BlueStacks, or Windows.)

So I'm back to my original questions: Are any of the brand-x Android emulators safe (and usable), and are there any legal / copyright issues? (I'm guessing there are no legal issues or BlueStacks would not still have Google Store support.)

amitabhr · Oct 4, 2022

I use a few android apps on windows 11 and to the best of my knowledge there is no legal issue in using/installing GApps by yourself on whatever you want or modifying everything etc.
Issues are only in "distributing" them to others which needs Google's approval. That is why they don't come preinstalled by MS etc and MS tied up with Amazon.

GitHub - LSPosed/MagiskOnWSALocal: Integrate Magisk root and Google Apps into WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android)

Integrate Magisk root and Google Apps into WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) - LSPosed/MagiskOnWSALocal

github.com

This one seems to have a new message saying:
Please detach the fork from upstream before building with Actions, Github will count the forked Actions usage to the upstream repository, which means if a forked repository abuses Actions, the repository that gets disabled will be upstream

The one i have been using seems fine:

GitHub - RahulRST/WSA_Script: Script files to install Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11 with Google Play Store Support

Script files to install Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11 with Google Play Store Support - RahulRST/WSA_Script

github.com

or my copy of that

GitHub - amitabhr/WSA_Script: Script files to install Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11 with Google Play Store Support

Script files to install Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11 with Google Play Store Support - GitHub - amitabhr/WSA_Script: Script files to install Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 1...

github.com

Say "fork" after logging in to your account on github. Then in your copy go to "actions" (top bar/menu) and say "build WSA" (left side bar) then click on that "run workflow" text (mid right) and select options in dropdown like if you want it rooted or not and which version of gapps you want etc then let it build for like 5-10 min and finallly download

Earlier i have used this to get gapps. More work but probably the description is good to read.

GitHub - LSPosed/WSAGAScript: Scripts to install Google Apps into a WSA image. Plus optional root

Scripts to install Google Apps into a WSA image. Plus optional root - GitHub - LSPosed/WSAGAScript: Scripts to install Google Apps into a WSA image. Plus optional root

github.com

Or i'll upload to mega or some drive if you want.

johnlgalt · Oct 4, 2022

amitabhr said:
I use a few android apps on windows 11 and to the best of my knowledge there is no legal issue in using/installing GApps by yourself on whatever you want or modifying everything etc.
Issues are only in "distributing" them to others which needs Google's approval. That is why they don't come preinstalled by MS etc and MS tied up with Amazon.

Ahh, I jsut ranted about this in the other thread. I had forgotten about the distribution policy, and now it makes sense.

Thanks for the writeups, I'll see if I can get one of these methods working somehow someway. I don't really see a difference in the LSPosed versus the WSAGAScripts, is there one?

EDIT: Well, for starters, it uses the slow ring instead of fast ring to download the msix bundle lol. I'll give it a shot.

I'm also tempted to change the scripts a bit (locally) so it *asks* where the user wants to start and then uses that location as the location for everything, automating the process a bit more....