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Here’s how Microsoft and Samsung are bringing Android apps to your PC

Last year Samsung and Microsoft announced that they would be teaming up to bring the functionality Apple users have enjoyed for sometime now to the world of Samsung and Windows 10 devices.

One of the big features back then was the launch of the Your Phone application.

Over the last year integration between Your Phone and Samsung devices has improved dramatically including integration with the app out of the box.

During Unpacked 2020 on Wednesday afternoon, Samsung announced a few new upgrades to the Your Phone application. One of the more exciting features was the ability to use, and launch Android apps on your Windows PC.

But what is happening here? Are you installing new apps on your PC and sharing the log in?

Thankfully Microsoft has provided a bit more detail about the updates to the Your Phone experience.

“The Your Phone app continues to evolve. We are happy to announce another exciting feature, a seamless continuation of our vision and promise to help you be more productive and keep you in your flow,” reads an update for Windows Insiders.

“There’s no need to install, sign-in or set up your apps on your PC, saving you time and hassle. You can conveniently pin your favorite mobile apps to your Taskbar or Start menu on your PC for quick and easy access. When you launch an app, it opens in a separate window outside of the Your Phone app enabling you to multitask.”

It seems then that the apps are still being cast to your desktop rather than a dedicated app running which is preferable. However, the caveat here is that right now only one app can run at a time.

This will change in the future, however, as Microsoft notes, “Later in the year, Samsung Galaxy Note20 users will experience the power and convenience of running multiple apps side by side and we will continue to work with Samsung to bring this feature to additional devices. Apps will launch in separate windows enabling you to interact with multiple apps at the same time. So, whether you are working on a document, keeping up on your social media feed or simply staying connected with family and friends, everything is accessible in one place, so your flow is never broken”.

Anybody running Your Phone right now will know that you can launch apps from your phone and see them on your desktop, but there are caveats. For instance audio plays through your phone rather than the desktop, we hope that this update fixes this.

When exactly this will be available however is unclear. At time of writing, these new features are only available to Windows Insiders. What’s more is that the feature is being gradually rolled out to Insiders configured to be in the Dev, Beta or Release Preview channels.

In addition to being in one of those Windows Insider programmes you will also need to have one of these supported devices which are all Samsung handsets.

While we currently have no idea when we can expect to be able to use Apps on Your Phone, we are following developments closely and we’ll be sure to share any news as it comes down the pipe.

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