Microsoft has announced a new feature on the Your Phone app that allows users to access their phone’s mobile apps directly from their Windows 10 PC. “When you launch an app, it opens in a separate window outside of the Your Phone app enabling you to multitask,” said Microsoft.
These apps do not need to be installed, nor do you need to sign into them on your PC. Instead, if your phone is connected to the Your Phone app, these applications will run natively on your PC as Windows applications.
Key features available through this new feature include:
- See a list of your installed Android apps directly within the Your Phone app.
- Add your frequently used apps to the favorites section or search among your apps for even quicker access.
- Launch any mobile app directly from your PC.
- Apps and your mirrored phone screen launch in a separate window on your PC.
- Pin your mobile apps to Windows Task bar or Start menu.
- Stay in the know by keeping an eye on the app notification badging (unread notifications) in the All apps list or your Favorites.
To use this app, you must fulfil the following requirements:
- PC running Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later. (Latest versions of all software is recommended).
- Phone and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Available on select Android phones running Android 9.0 or greater with the Link to Windows integration.
Limitations include some apps blocking the ability to cast to other screens – resulting in a black screen – games not responding to mouse and/or keyboard input, and audio from apps playing from your smartphone.
The ability to run multiple apps simultaneously is also not yet available and will be introduced later in 2020. The feature is available through the Your Phones app and can be accessed on a variety of Samsung smartphones.
