Have you ever attempted emailing yourself a screenshot or image to get it from your mobile phone to your PC? Or you engage in uploading pics to Google Photos or Dropbox so you can download on your laptop? With the new Microsoft’s Your Phone app, you are now able to link that Android handset of yours to your computer directly and then easily drag and drop images or screenshots. This app lets you receive and send out messages from your mobile on your PC. Let’s direct you on how to set it up, what the app offers and its limitations.
How To Set It Up:
If you have a computer running Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Version 1803) or later, and an Android phone running Android 7.0 Nougat or later, then you are covered with this app. Just ensure both of them are connected to one Wi-Fi network.
Do Not Forget: Support for iOS is to be expected in the future, but as at the time of posting this, there is no sign of it.
Download and install the Your Phone app for Windows 10 from Microsoft immediately.
It can also be gotten by searching for “Your Phone,” or by going through the Start button at the bottom left and moving down to open Microsoft Store. When you get to the Your Phone page, tap the “Get.” option and follow all guidelines to install the app.
When you are done with that, launch the app and you will be alerted to install a counterpart on your Android phone. The simple way to go about this is by typing in your number and the installation link will be sent via SMS. Or better still, you can just go to the Google Play Store and search for “Your Phone Companion,” installing the app on your phone is simple with the result you see.
The two applications should automatically sync. After this, you’ll be asked to provide several permissions on your Android phone to link both devices and ensure access to your images, texts, phone calls, and contact list.
As soon as access is granted by you, your phone should be seen appearing in the Windows Your Phone app on your PC. Clicking to check out recent Photos or Messages should be possible plus there is a Settings page.
The images section will show you the last 25 screenshots or images you have on your Android phone. You can view them for sharing or editing purposes, or you can just drag and drop them to have another copy on your desktop or into folders you want.
The messages section will show your last 15 conversations plus it lets you type and send new messages via your laptop or desktop keyboard.
Limitations:
As I mentioned earlier, images and screenshots are limited to the last 25 you have on your phone. When you snap a new one, click on “refresh.” to update the list.
Text messages cannot be more than 15 conversations as well, but it cannot be displayed on the desktop app right now. Your Phone has been tested on a Google Pixel 3 and even though it functions well with the troubleshooting tips, it does a bad job at syncing up existing messages. Sending new text messages from the PC is possible and new messages that are received while the Pixel 3 is linked will display in its correct form in the Your Phone app on your computer — also displaying at the bottom right of the screen, same as every other notification.
Going through the reviews of this app in the Microsoft Store and Google Play Store have shown these issues are normal.
Microsoft has said the Your Phone app should be left running constantly. By doing this, your phone and PC are connected, even though they agree that the battery life of the devices will be affected. Left to TechVaz, transferring your screenshots and images without getting and plugging in a cable is the pull here and you do not have to let the app keep running solely for that — just launch it when you’re transferring a photo.
