When Microsoft released the Your Phone app earlier this year, it gave Windows 10 users the ability to mirror their Android phone screen onto their PC. While the app seemed like a useful addition to Windows 10, we found the execution to be lacking.
Credit: Microsoft
Fortunately, a new update coming to Your Phone will make the phone mirroring app a lot more useful. Microsoft released on Friday a Windows Insider Preview (Build 18885) that brings Android notifications to Your Phone. With the update installed, you can get smartphone alerts and messages directly on your Windows 10 laptop, without having to pick up your Android phone.
MORE: How to Mirror Your Screen in Windows 10
Based on a screenshot Microsoft provided, users can expect to see notifications from Google Maps, Snapchat, Uber, WhatsApp, and Outlook, among other popular Android apps.
Once you've installed the update, Your Phone will list each of your Android apps and give you the option to turn notifications on or off. Also included in the preview are the same usability tools you enjoy on your smartphone, including the ability to view all notifications in one place and clear notifications individually or all at once. It appears, however, that you can't respond to notifications just yet.
Credit: Microsoft
The feature is available to Insiders on 19H1 builds who own an Android phone running 7.0 (Nougat) or newer and a Windows 10 PC running build 1803 or newer. Microsoft says the notification tools will arrive in "a few days." Microsoft will push the feature live to all users once testing is complete, which typically takes a few months.
Along with notifications, Microsoft added several additional Android devices to the list of phones that support Your Phone, including the OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, Note 8, Note 9.
For instructions on how to set up Your Phone along with our impressions of the app, check out our hands-on Your Phone review.
