Microsoft has been trying to imitate Apple for a long time when it comes to centralizing and unifying all devices. Thanks to the Windows 10 “Your Phone” app, we can all connect our smartphone to the PC, receive notifications on the computer, access the calendar and control it remotely without having to unlock it. Even now it is possible to view the mobile screen on the PC and even run apps directly in Windows using the mobile as a processing unit. However, these last two, and great, features are not available to everyone, why?
The Windows 10 Your Phone app is a free app that we can download from the Microsoft Store, and that will allow us to connect our mobile to the PC and interact with it. All users can access the call log, view messages, photos saved on the phone and receive notifications. However, only some specific users will be able to take advantage of the two star functions of this app: screen transmission and running apps on the PC.
The function of transmitting the mobile screen to the PC has been available to users for some time. Also, since the latest Windows 10 21H1 Insider builds , it is possible to run Android apps directly on Windows 10. But these features are not available to everyone, they can only be used by owners of a Samsung phone with the latest versions of Android installed.
The main cause: performance issues with the Bluetooth LE
Microsoft’s Screen Mirroring feature was designed to connect via Bluetooth Low Energy technology, so any smartphone with this feature could make use of these features. However, given the limitations of the BLE, the screen broadcast was not working as expected. For this reason, Microsoft announced that it was abandoning support for Bluetooth LE , and, in order not to discard the work done, decided to make this feature exclusive to Samsung.
Microsoft and Samsung are close partners. Therefore, Microsoft adapted the code for sending the screen so that, although the initial connection was made by BLE , a new function was used, Link to Windows , which would allow connecting the mobile to the PC through a Wi-Fi connection, eliminating delays, cuts and other problems from the original project. This is possible, too, because Samsung’s operating system, OneUI, has drivers and features specially designed to connect with Windows 10.
We can find the list of compatible models at this link .
And what about Android apps?
The new function that allows us to run Android apps on Windows 10 is based on the same technology. In other words, the app does not run directly on Windows, but runs in the background, inside the mobile, and its interface is shown on our PC in “streaming”, just like when we transmit the screen.
Therefore, it has the same limitations and only works through Link to Windows . And therefore, it is only possible to use this new operating system function with Samsung’s highest-end phones connected to Windows 10.
So can I only use Samsung with Windows 10?
Actually, the answer to this question is yes and no at the same time. It is true that right now only Samsung smartphones can cast the screen and run Android apps on Windows 10. However, Microsoft has not closed the technology to anyone . If Huawei, LG, OnePlus, Xiaomi and even Apple wanted they could add the necessary drivers to allow their phones to use these two features at the same time. But for this they would have to collaborate with Microsoft, and we already know how the agreements and collaborations with these companies work.
But this is not the only way out. If we don’t want to buy a Samsung, or wait for the companies to agree (something that might never happen), we can also buy a Surface Duo , Microsoft’s Android tablet, which brings the necessary drivers to allow us to connect the device to Windows 10 and make use of screen mirroring and the function of running Android programs from the PC without going through the Samsung ring.
In summary: although any manufacturer could add the Link to Windows function if they wanted (adding the drivers corresponding to their ROMS), the only way to use today is either to buy a compatible Samsung mobile, or to buy the highest Android device. Microsoft range: the Surface Duo .
