14 DAY TRIAL // The recently-released Windows 10 build 16199 comes with a new feature for Android users that brings phone call notifications right on their desktops.
Offering support for Android and iOS devices is one of Microsoft’s priorities, and at the Build developer conference recently, the company announced a new series of features that would arrive on smartphones not running its own platform.
Today, the software giant starts testing incoming call notifications on Android devices, so whenever someone with a phone powered by Google’s operating system receives a call, a notification shows up on their desktops with options like decline and text back. It goes without saying that answering the call is not possible, though such functionality could be added at a later time.
Cortana on both devices, same MSA
What you need to do to get phone notifications on your Windows 10 PC is to have Cortana set up and running on both the PC and the Android smartphone, obviously logged in with the same account.
“For our Insiders with Android phones, Cortana can now display cross device incoming call notifications! Install the Cortana app on your phone, go to Settings > Sync notifications and turn on all the Cortana cross-device features. The next time you receive a call, a notification will appear on your Fast ring PC telling you who it is and giving you the option to text back a reply or decline the call,” Microsoft explains.
Basically, it should work with any Android phone that runs Cortana, and make sure that you download the latest version of Microsoft’s digital assistant. Also, the same account needs to be used on both devices to be able to offer the cloud-based synchronization for call notifications.
This feature is still in the early days and is expected to become available to all users with the stable release of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update due in September.