In the Near Future You Might Be Able to Link Your Smartphone to Your Windows 10 PC

The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16251 was rolled out towards the end of last week. The highlight of this latest build is its ability to link with your Android device through a new menu option in the settings.

In this build, the functionality is limited to cross-device-web-browsing but there are signs of further integration in later builds as well as iPhone compatibility, ahead of the upcoming Redstone update later on in the year.

The linking is as simple as opening your PC’s settings, tapping on the Phone menu. Once inside here, you will need to provide your phone number, if you hadn’t already, then you will receive an SMS with a link to download an android app called Microsoft Apps, that will be used to enable the link between your two devices.

Microsoft says that linking the two devices using the app is a security measure that will ensure your sessions are continued only on PCs which you have explicitly linked to, and not across all PCs where your Microsoft Account is present.

The app itself is rather simple to use. After signing up with your Microsoft account, the same one you’re using on your PC, the app adds a new share context “Continue on PC” in your share menu. There is also a “Continue Later” option that will send a notification to your PC under the Action Center panel, allowing you to access your work later on.

In the future, Microsoft might use this link to send notifications from your smartphone to your PC and even allow you to act on them. However, it is prudent to note that for those who are not signed up for the Windows Insider program, Cortana can basically act as a link between your PC and your device, allowing you to receive notifications, send texts and more. You will need Cortana installed on your phone and signed up using the same account as your PC.

Read More: Microsoft Wants You To Use Cortana On The Android Lockscreen