In a move we’ve seen before, Microsoft is copying an Apple ecosystem feature and bringing it to the Windows/Android cross-platform ecosystem. Apple calls this feature Handoff, and it lets you start a task on one device and continue on another. Microsoft is calling its own version Cross Device Resume, a major step for Windows 11 Android continuity.
While some sort of cross-platform continuity already exists between Android or iPhone and Windows through Link to Windows and Phone Link app, this new feature brings an update and enhancement to it across these platforms. It will enhance how users who use an iPhone or Android and Windows computer switch between their phone and computer.
Cross Device Resume, Handoff-like continuity feature for Windows 11
Android Police reports that Microsoft is copying an Apple ecosystem feature and calling it Cross Device Resume. As the name suggests, it enables a cross-device functionality between operating systems that previously lacked such seamless integration. For this to work, the Link to Windows and Phone Link apps are needed. These two apps already exist in the Microsoft Store with varying degrees of functionality.
Android users, for instance, can pair their Android phone with their Windows 11 computer to receive notifications, send texts, and share files. While these functions are also available to iPhone users who pair to a Windows device through Link to Windows Link and Phone Link apps, they are often erratic and unreliable. Moreover, it is also cumbersome to begin a task on your phone and continue it on your computer.
How Cross Device Resume enhances Windows 11 Android continuity
Phone Arena shared an image from the Microsoft announcement using the Spotify app as an example of how the feature will work. The image, reshared below, shows two possible scenarios: one where a user does not have a companion app on their Windows 11 computer and another where they do.
In the first scenario, when a user has already paired their phone and Windows 11 computer, the taskbar notification simply prompts them to “Continue on this PC.” In the second scenario, the notification instead asks them to “Download and Install” the companion app from the Microsoft Store.
News shared on both Phone Arena and Microsoft does not mention when the feature will become available. Microsoft is, however testing the feature in Windows 11 Dev and Beta channels and are urging developers to begin integrating it into their own apps. Hopefully this feature launches soon bringing cross-platform Windows 11 Android Continuity.
The post Windows 11 Is Getting an Apple-Style Handoff Feature appeared first on Android Headlines.
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