One of the benefits of perish all - in on Apple hardware is that everything works so seamlessly ( most of the time ): Photos from your iPhone appear on your Mac , you could switch between the desktop and mobile when shape on documents , TV Call can be made from anywhere , and so on . A standardised sort of integration can be had between Windows and Android — it just claim a little extra time to set up .
This being Windows and Android , you ’ve also got more options to cull from — a whole host of apps will let you check out your electronic mail on your Windows personal computer and your Android smartphone , for example . We ca n’t comprehend all the unlike ways you may do this , but we will channelize you towards some of our favorite answer .
Messages and calls
The Your Phone app in Windows 10 ( hunt for it from the Start menu ) continues to get better at interfacing with your Android telephone from Microsoft ’s OS . The most recent feature to be added is support forRCS messaging , the heir to SMS , which , to begin with , will cultivate with Samsung Messages on the Galaxy S20 .
Connect the Your Phone app up to an Android equipment and you get enough synchronise over by default : Text messages , notifications , even pic and videos . you could send and meet text message , and make and receive calls from your Windows electronic computer , though the actual communicating is still done through your phone .
A bunch of Android message apps also come with vane version you may make consumption of on the desktop , includingAndroid Messages , Facebook Messenger , WhatsApp , andSkype — they’re all able to passably repeat the iMessage experience you get between iPhones and Macs to . Skype and Facebook Messenger can even launch video calls . Google Duois another option for video on both desktop and Mobile River .
Image: Microsoft
Skype has a proper desktop app for Windows , so it ’s a bit closer to the iMessage and FaceTime experience , but it ca n’t be set as the default SMS app on Android at the moment , so it ’s not everlasting . Whatever messaging app you choose though , you should be able to sync subject matter and calls between Android and Windows .
Photos and videos
Google Photos remains the standout contender here , because of the smartness of its underlie AI , the ease with which you may utilise it , and the fact that it ’s completely innocent if you have Google funk your photos down to 16MP and your videos down to 1080p ( if indeed they ’re any bountiful than that in the first place ) .
Photos and telecasting capture on your Android twist will instantly show up on your Windows auto — albeit in a web browser app , not a native app — and you could upload all your existing photos and picture from your Windows laptop computer or background using the freeBackup and Syncclient that Google provides .
The obvious alternative isOneDrive , which brings with it full integration with Windows ( your photos and videos can be mechanically saved locally as well as in the cloud ) , but which is n’t quite as dodgy and straightforward on Mobile River . If you ’re already intemperately invest in OneDrive ( and are paying for Office ) , there ’s plausibly no pauperization to switch to Google Photos , but the Google option is the better one overall .
The Your Phone app on Windows.Screenshot: Gizmodo
Dropboxdoes this too , and is deserving a look if you want something that posture neutrally in between Google and Microsoft . You get the option of whether your photos and videos are synced locally to your Windows information processing system ( and your other machine ) , and they ’re always available on the web too . You get 2 GB of space for detached , and after that pricing starts at $ 10 per month .
Copy and paste
One of the most impressive mode that iPhones and Mac machine link together is the Universal Clipboard — as long as you ’re signed into your Apple devices using the same Apple ID , you could share a clipboard between all of them . It all work swimmingly enough . Amazingly you’re able to get sort of the same experience on Windows and Android too .
Google Chrome can do this if you ’ve got it fix up on both your Windows machine and your Android twist . On the desktop side , the feature is hidden behind a flag at the moment , though it might graduate soon : From the chrome://flags page , enable Enable receiver equipment to handle shared clipboard feature , and Enable share clipboard feature signals to be manage , and Sync Clipboard Service .
Make indisputable you ’re signed into the same Google account on both twist , with sync in Chrome turned on . you’re able to copy from Chrome on Windows by right wing - clicking on textbook or images and choosing Copy to Your twist ; on Android , select something and opt Share then Chrome . After that it ’s just a question of choosing the paste option on the receiving gadget , so that ’s a long pressure then Paste in Android or Ctrl+V in Windows .
Dropbox syncs files between desktop and mobile.Screenshot: Gizmodo
batch of third - party apps are happy to take upkeep of this for you too . A twosome of the secure one are the freeClipbrd , which operates as an Android app and an telephone extension for Chrome on the desktop , and the freeMagic Copy , which total as a separate download for both Android devices and Windows data processor .
Web browsing
Most forward-looking - day browser app are available on Windows and Android , and will happily keep all your browse information synced between the two as well — word , requital information , bookmarker , browsing chronicle and the rest . Google Chromehas been the standard - bearer here for a prospicient time and is just about keep its nose in front as the secure selection .
In Chrome on Windows and Android , just open up the History page to see Sir Frederick Handley Page that are opened on other machine , as long as you ’re sign in with the same Google account and sync is enable on both platforms . It ’s not quite as seamless as it is on Apple devices , but it ’s getting close .
Do n’t discountFirefoxthough , which continues to bring plenty of new features ( including built - in VPN protection ) on both background and Mobile River . Syncing your data between devices using a Firefox account is a breeze , and its developer Mozilla is much less interested in building up a targeted ad visibility on you than Google is .
Magic Copy for Android.Image: Magic Copy
The revamp , relaunched , Cr - basedMicrosoft Edgeis definitely worth a expression too , especially if you want the tight potential integration with Windows . It has some simple - to - consumption privacy options and an immersive referee way , and it ’ll spell all your key browsing data from Chrome pretty seamlessly if you ’re quick to make the transposition . It also underpin Chrome elongation now too .
Documents and more
Take your pick on this one really : Dropbox , OneDrive , Google Drive and others will all do a very capable chore of synchronize document and any sort of data file between your Windows computer and a nomadic gimmick running Android . You do n’t get much way for devoid though—2 GB with Dropbox , 5 GB with OneDrive , and 15 GB with Google Drive ( shared across all your Google product ) .
When it comes to actually doing some document redaction and creation , the two obvious competitor areMicrosoft OfficeandGoogle Drive . Microsoft Office can be used in a basic descriptor for free on the web and on mobile , but to make the most of it you really demand to pay the $ 70 a class subscription fee for the right background applications .
To be fair , Office has come a long mode in terms of how easily you may edit files across multiple devices . With OneDrive work away in the background , it ’s now really straight to clean up employment you initiate on your personal computer on your phone , or vice versa . The Office apps continue to get better on Mobile River , and that admit Io too of course .
Google Chrome syncs data between devices effortlessly.Screenshot: Gizmodo
Google Docs , Sheets , and Slides are also usable on just about any twist you ’re ever going to be using for study . They do n’t have the same largeness and complexity of Office , but then they are altogether free to use . If you need speed , convenience and low price , go Google ; otherwise , jibe out Office .
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The Office apps for Android.Image: Microsoft
