Check out how to integrate your Android smartphone with Windows 10

It is already quite clear that the ecosystem failed with the sale of its own cell phones, but that does not mean that the company will abandon other aspects that can be explored very well, via software, through the marriage of apps for the Windows with the most representative operating systems on the market: Android e iOS systems.

Integrating Windows 10 with your smartphone

Microsoft's tactic is to promote an integration between its most popular system at the moment, Windows 10, with Android, which currently represents 85% of the market, according to IDC data.  In addition to iOS, of course, which appears soon after, with 15,01%, although currently the app that performs the integration is only available for Android.

This integration is done through an application called “Your Phone”, featured in the latest major Windows 10 update, titled October 2018” (version 1809), announced during an event in New York in the beginning of the month.

Putting this integration into practice is very simple, and we've put together a step-by-step guide so you can clear all your doubts. Do you have your Windows 10 updated and your smartphone in hand? So come with us!

Access “Your Phone” from the Windows 10 search bar

To get started, click on the Windows 10 search bar and type “Your Phone”. The first screen of the application asks you to login with your Microsoft account. Fulfill this requirement and continue with us.

Time to link smartphone to computer

The next step is to link the smartphone to the computer with Windows 10. To do this, click on the “link phone” button in the center of the screen and then fill in the area code.

After filling in the number and clicking send, you will receive a message on your cell phone to download the app. If you do not receive the SMS, access the link on your smartphone aka.ms/yourphonecompanion to download the app, or even simpler, go to the Play Store and search for the “Complemento para SeuPhone” app.

configured the application

After closing the session on your phone in Windows that was talking about sending the SMS to the smartphone, a new screen will appear with an active charging symbol, indicating that it is still necessary to integrate with the application installed on the cell phone.

To do this, go to the app on your device, check the box that says “my computer is ready”, and then go to "Connect my computer". On the next linking completion screen, you will have to log in with your Microsoft account. Click on “Sign in with Microsoft account.

On this screen it is already clear the level of integration that this app offers: “To view recent photos and send SMS from computer, you need to log in and grant some permissions”.

Enjoy the resources

From that point on, the computer with Windows 10 and the Android device with the app installed are already linked, able to talk to each other.

Before entering the features, after confirming the integration, the app on Android will show a screen indicating that some permissions need to be granted so that the computer and the phone can work together. Click continue. The permissions that you will have to grant, if you wish, are as follows: images, SMS messages, phone calls and contact list.

After configuring the permissions, the entire fine-tuning process is finished. We go straight to the “Your Phone” app on the computer.

When performing the first access to the app on the computer, after configuration, the linked model will appear at the top of the screen, in our case we tested it with a Galaxy S8+. In order for the images and SMS from the smartphone to appear in the version of the app on the computer, simply click on allow in the text message that will appear on the device asking that the phone can be connected.

From now on, the most recent photos stored on your smartphone will automatically appear in the PC version of “Your Phone”. In addition to viewing the images in an order that prioritizes the most recent ones in a thumbnail mode, you can also click on any of them to display them highlighted.

Although many people don't even use the legendary SMS anymore, as instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are leading the way in communication these days, it's also possible to reply and send new messages through the app on your phone. Just click on Messages (in preview) on the left side.

The app will automatically list your most recent SMS messages. If you want to send a new one, click on + New Message, select the contact from your list and close by clicking on the paper plane symbol.

We saw here that, until then, Microsoft will invest in solutions via applications to stay in the mobile market and follow its line of creating an ecosystem for the Windows 10, which joins its participation in computers, consoles and hitchhiking with the most popular operating systems for mobile devices on the market.