Earlier today, we reported that the Windows maker was planning on introducing a new "phone screen" feature that will enable users to mirror their Android screens on Windows 10 devices. The feature is in beta right now with Windows Insiders able to test it starting today with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18356.
We are excited to provide an early preview into the newest feature for the Your Phone app – phone screen. You can now mirror your Android phone’s screen directly on your PC without having to dig for your phone.
The new phone screen feature gives you easy access to your phone apps on your PC. Whether scheduling a ride to the airport or checking your social updates, do it with ease from the comfort of your PC without having to take your phone out of your bag or go back and forth between devices. Go ahead, give your thumbs a break, and get things done faster with your keyboard and mouse.
This feature will gradually roll out to Insiders on 19H1 builds. It may take a few days for this feature to show up inside the Your Phone app (version 1.0.20701.0 and above).
You can use the Your Phone app on any Windows 10 PC running Windows builds 1803 (RS4) or newer and any Android phone running Android version 7.0 or newer. But the new phone screen feature is initially only compatible with a limited set of devices. Surface Go will be the first device in the Surface lineup to preview this feature. We will continue to expand the list of devices over time for both the PC and phone.
We look forward to your feedback as we continue to test, learn, and improve the overall experience.
Android phone must be on, within Bluetooth range of the PC, and connected to the same network as the PC.
Known issues:
Touch input doesn’t work yet
Always on display will not be shown on the phone screen displayed on the PC
Blue light preferences will not be applied on the phone screen displayed on the PC
Audio will play out of the phone speakers, not the PC
Double clicking may bring down notification center
Some games and apps do not support mouse interactions (e.g. Pokémon Go, Merge Dragons, Feedly)
If you turn on the setting to hide soft keyboard when a physical keyboard is present your soft keyboard will disappear whenever you’re within Bluetooth range of your PC regardless of the state of the Your Phone app or phone screen session
For more details, including general improvements and other known issues, head over to the official blog post.
About the author: Rafia joined Wccftech in 2012 as a tech reporter. She is currently working on stories focusing on people and technologies that are turning Microsoft into a “company to watch” again.
She is also responsible for collaborating with tech makers and e-commerce platforms to bring annoying but tempting deals to our readers.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.