Latest news with #LinktoWindows
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
Your Android phone can now control more of your PC, and here's how
Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR Microsoft is updating its Link to Windows app on Android, enabling you to access your PC more easily. The update allows you to view the PC's battery status, recent files, and clipboard from your Android devices. The update also allows you to lock your Windows PCs remotely using your phone. Microsoft's Phone Link is the closest (and most trustworthy) means to create an Apple-like continuity between your Android phone and a Windows PC. The app already allows you to view your phone's notifications, messages, and media on your PC, take calls, and share files between both devices. The Android device, however, gets limited functionality, which Microsoft may now be looking to change. On the Android side, Microsoft's Link to Windows app serves as the terminal for creating and managing the cross-device connectivity features. Since it is already popular, with over a billion downloads on the Play Store, Microsoft could improve its service by adding features that enable remote control of the PC from a mobile device. Microsoft recently announced a significant update to the Link to Windows app. The update introduces new features, including the ability to remotely lock your Windows PC from a connected phone, check vitals such as battery and Wi-Fi status, or cast your phone's screen without interacting with the PC app. These features were previously spotted in Windows' dev channels and are now being rolled out to more users through the broader Insider channels. Along with these improvements, the Link to Windows can now be used to send files directly, without relying separately on Android's share sheet. More excitingly, the Link to Windows app will now also allow you to view recent files and access your PC's clipboard on your phone. The Android app is also getting an updated interface, as seen below: Microsoft Microsoft isn't rolling these features out to the stable channels of Windows 11 just yet, and you must be using one of the Insider builds to enjoy them. Alternatively, you can sign up to be a Windows Insider. Additionally, you will need to sign up for the beta for Link to Windows on the Play Store by scrolling down on the app listing, such that you are running version 1.25071.155 of the app on your phone. Lastly, once you have completed these requirements, go to Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices on your PC, select your Android device, and enable the required toggles to access the new features on your phone.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
Microsoft Just Released A Major Android App Upgrade For Windows 11 PCs
Microsoft announced on July 24 how you can use your Android phone to interact with your Windows 11 PC. 'We've reimagined the Link to Windows app as a connected PC experience hub — a central place where you can access, share, and control content between your Android phone and Windows PC,' Microsoft said in a blog post. Link to Windows has just had an upgrade. Imagine this: you've just stepped away from your desk: that confidential presentation you're working on has been hard and you need a breather. Standing by the coffee machine, you realize your PC display is still on and, as mentioned, that stuff on your screen is secret. Don't panic: the Android app, Link To Windows has just been upgraded so you can lock the PC from your phone with one touch. This is a serious upgrade: already you could set your PC so it would lock if you went more than a certain distance from it, judged by the location of your phone. But this enhancement means you can do it manually — handy if you're still within the geofencing range but just too far to lock the screen instantly without breaking into a run. The new app also has an updated design and allows you to check things like your PC's battery life and current Wi-Fi status from your Android phone's display. What Microsoft calls the onboarding experience has also been improved, so you can set it up directly on your Android phone without the involvement of a PC. You can also send files to your PC from within the app and mirror your phone screen on your PC's display. Just as usefully, you can access the most recent files received on your PC, and clipboard items, which is useful if you're waiting for something specific before you drag yourself back to the office. Microsoft stresses that this new experience is rolling out, so you may not see it straight away. To access it you need the latest Windows Insider Preview build on your PC and Phone Link version of 1.25062.83.0 or higher. On Android, you need Link to Windows app, version 1.25071.155 or higher.
