The Your Phone App Turns Windows 10 Into Android's Best Fri

Nov 30, 2020 09:32 GMT  ·  By

There’s absolutely no doubt Windows 10 has evolved a lot in the last five years, and the living proof is the arsenal of modern features that are available today on the desktop.

For example, users can even run Android apps on their Windows 10 computers, as long as they also own a compatible smartphone, something that nobody would have ever imagined many years ago.

Microsoft, however, is fully committed to merging the Android and Windows 10 ecosystems, and it’s also because the company is an Android device manufacturer now. With the Surface Duo already on the market, Microsoft wants the relationship between Android and Windows 10 to be as close as possible, so all these improvements certainly make sense.

Android apps on Windows 10 are powered by the Your Phone app, which needs to be installed on the desktop to bring the two devices in sync.

“With Your Phone apps, you can instantly access the Android apps installed on your mobile device right on your PC. Using a Wi-Fi connection, Apps allows you to browse, play, order, chat, and more – all while using your PC’s larger screen and keyboard. You can add your Android apps as favorites on your PC, pin them to your Start menu and taskbar, and open them in separate windows to use side-by-side with apps on your PC – helping you stay productive,” Microsoft explains.

But that’s not the only thing the Your Phone app is able to do on Windows 10, as it also provides users with mobile notifications, access to the photo gallery, messages, and other content on their phones.

So in other words, the Your Phone app has become just the right tool for anyone who wants to keep Android and Windows 10 in sync, thus merging the desktop and mobile even with Microsoft no longer having its own phone operating system.

Many years ago when Windows Phone was still a thing, this close relationship between Windows 10 and mobile was something many users expected to happen, especially given how committed the company was to keep users always in sync no matter where they are. Things have changed since then, and Windows 10 Mobile is no more, so Microsoft had no other option than to adjust its strategy by embracing another mobile platform.

Your Phone app for Windows 10

And of course, this one was Android, so now Google’s operating system has become Windows 10’s best friend, with the Your Phone app at the core of everything.

Rumor has it that Microsoft is actually working on making everything happen on Windows 10 without the need for the Your Phone app. In other words, Android apps could eventually run on the desktop natively, as Microsoft wants to bring them to the Microsoft Store and thus simplify the requirements, while also unlocking this capability for all Android devices.

The work in this regard has already started, and 2021 could be the year bringing us this functionality, at least in preview stage as part of the Windows Insider program.

For now, however, the Your Phone app is a key part of Microsoft’s mobile push, and after so many questionable decisions the company has made in the mobile market, everything makes sense now.

Android apps on Windows 10 are here in the long term, and the more committed the software giant becomes to this project, the more the Your Phone app evolves with new functionality.

Worth keeping an eye on is the future of this app should Microsoft add Android app support to Windows 10. Will Microsoft eventually ditch the Your Phone app or continue offering it in Windows 10 with other functionality? This is something that remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a must-have that I absolutely love.

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Your Phone app for Windows 10
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