Microsoft is gearing up to release the long-awaited and much talked about Android screen mirroring feature. A feature the Redmond company debuted last year.
The company first started experimenting with the ‘run Android apps on Windows’ business on the Your Phone app. This Windows 10 app lets you see and now use the application running on your Android phone right on the Windows 10 PC computer.
This feature is currently available in beta for Windows Insiders running the Windows Build 1803 or newer.
“You can now mirror your Android phone’s screen directly on your PC without having to dig for your phone,” writes a Microsoft Agent on the company’s Community forums.
When rolled out, a Windows 10 user will pair their Android phone and its content mirrored on their PC. They will be able to operate their phone right from their PC. A much-needed feature for those of us who are constantly glued to our computer, and resent having to change from computer to phone to reply to messages.
When debuting the feature last year, Microsoft showed how a user can engage in Snapchat conversations right from their laptop running Windows 10. This demonstration was carried out on the Surface device; not that it matters.
Though the PC needs to have Bluetooth support with Low Energy Peripheral mode. This feature is essential given it allows the two devices to interface with each other. You can check if your PC supports low-energy Bluetooth mode by going to Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu.
Then select Bluetooth to expand its option and then press the laptop’s specific Bluetooth adapter or driver. You can then double-click on the Properties to find the Details tab. When you reach there select the Bluetooth Radio Supports Low Energy Peripheral Rold, which you can find in the drop-down menu. If the value is True, then your PC supports the feature.
If you get through the above hurdle, you will now need to check if you have the following devices’ screens: Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, Galaxy S9, and S9 Plus. The phone must be running Android 7 or higher. The feature also supports Microsoft’s Surface Go tablets.
Microsoft has also promised to include a wider range of supported smartphones and PCs under the Your Phone App. Though there is still no official announced date of release of this feature; it is currently in beta.
It is interesting to note that while Microsoft is working on releasing phone screen mirroring desktop application. Laptop OEMs have already begun releasing their own solutions for the same.
Take, for instance, Dell’s Mobile Connect that lets users connect their Android and iOS devices on their PCs. Allowing the user to read/send text, see/dismiss notifications, and interact in many ways with apps.
Samsung too has the Flow app that enables the user to view contents on their smartphone or tablet while using their phones.