A new cross‑device feature in Dev and Beta builds lets you pick up what you were doing on your Android phone and continue instantly on your PC, complete with a one‑click desktop app install if you need it.
- What’s new: Windows 11 is rolling out a “Resume from your phone” experience to Windows Insiders that surfaces a taskbar alert on your PC so you can continue an activity from an Android app on your phone.
- Where it’s available: Gradual rollout to the Dev and Beta Channels as of August 22, 2025, with the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle accelerating access on supported builds.
- First app supported: Spotify (more apps expected to participate over time).
- How it works: Start playing a song or podcast in Spotify on Android → a resume toast appears on your Windows taskbar → click to open Spotify on your PC at the same place you left off (or install it in one click if it’s missing).
- What you need: A Windows 11 PC on the latest Insider build, an Android phone with Link to Windows, Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices enabled on the PC, and the same account signed in to Spotify on both devices.
- For developers: Microsoft’s Continuity SDK (Cross Device Resume) underpins the experience and is currently a limited‑access API that enables apps to publish “AppContext” for seamless hand‑off to Windows.
Windows and Android have been edging closer for years through notifications, messaging, photo sharing, and app streaming. The new “Resume from your phone” goes after the last bit of friction: context. Instead of just launching the desktop app, Windows now knows what you were doing on your phone and invites you to continue that specific task on your PC — no manual re‑searching or re‑navigating required. It feels less like two devices and more like a single, continuous workspace.
What’s actually shipping today
- Feature name users will see: A resume alert on the Windows taskbar reading that you can continue an activity “from your phone.”
- Initial scope: Spotify only. The experience will resume your currently playing content on PC, assuming you use the same Spotify account on both devices.
- Smart install: If Spotify isn’t installed on your PC, clicking the alert triggers a one‑click install from the Microsoft Store, then opens the app and prompts you to sign in.
- Distribution: Gradual rollout in the Dev and Beta Channels. If you don’t see it right away, that’s expected; Microsoft is gating the feature behind a controlled roll‑out and the Windows Update “latest updates” toggle.
- Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel on Windows 11 version 25H2 (build 26200.xxxx or newer) and Insiders in the Beta Channel receiving the same feature wave.
- Android phone users with the Link to Windows app configured and allowed to run in the background.
- People signed in with the same Spotify account on phone and PC.
1) Turn on PC access to your phone
- On your PC: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices.
- Toggle “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices” to On.
- Click “Manage devices” and follow the pairing flow to connect your Android phone.
Tip: If your organization manages your device, this toggle may be unavailable; see the IT/Admin section below.
- Open Link to Windows and complete sign‑in.
- Grant background run permissions (this keeps the resume signal reliable).
- Confirm the phone shows as connected in the PC’s Mobile devices settings.
- On your phone: Open Spotify and start playing a track or podcast.
- On your PC: Watch for the taskbar alert. Click it.
- If Spotify is installed: It opens and continues playback where you left off.
- If Spotify is not installed: A one‑click install begins from the Microsoft Store, then the app launches and asks you to sign in.
- Make sure you’re on the latest Insider build in Dev or Beta.
- In Settings > Windows Update, turn on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.”
- Confirm Link to Windows is connected and running in the background.
- Ensure the same Spotify account is used on both devices.
- Wait a bit — feature rollouts are phased; it may take days before you’re flighted in.
- A small Windows toast on your taskbar indicating you can continue what you were doing in Spotify on your phone, now on your PC.
- If installation is needed, the toast offers to install Spotify; after that, the desktop app opens to the same content.
- This is not full, native Android app execution on Windows — it’s a context hand‑off into a native Windows desktop app or a web endpoint when implemented that way.
- It’s not a generic app streamer or mirroring feature; it’s a task‑continuity/resume mechanism.
- It’s not cross‑platform for iOS. The developer pathway powering this (Continuity SDK) currently targets Android.
Microsoft is building this on the Continuity SDK and Cross Device Resume (XDR) model:
- AppContext. Android apps publish an AppContext payload that describes “what” to resume (for example, the now‑playing item), alongside identifiers, titles, and optional thumbnails. Windows listens for these contexts via the Link to Windows channel and surfaces them as resume opportunities on the PC.
- Targeting desktop apps. When you click the resume alert, Windows can:
- Open the corresponding desktop application using a custom protocol URI and pass context arguments, or
- Fall back to a web URL if the app prefers a browser‑based endpoint.
- Limited access. Continuity SDK’s Resume capability is currently a Limited Access Feature. Partners must apply for access and meet scenario requirements. Expect the first wave to be curated (as with Spotify) and to expand over time.
Music and podcasts are perfect for demoing continuity: it’s obvious, fast to validate, and exercises both the “open installed app” and “install then resume” path. It also sets the pattern for other content‑forward apps — think reading, learning, productivity, or communications — to adopt the same resume hand‑off.
What developers need to know (overview)
If you’re building for Android and Windows and want your users to continue tasks on PC:
- Continuity SDK (Android). Integrate the Continuity SDK in your Android app to publish AppContext (for example, what the user is listening to, reading, or editing). Minimum Android SDK levels and Kotlin versions apply. The Link to Windows app must be present on the device.
- AppContext essentials. Provide a unique contextId, a type indicating resume activity, a title, and either a custom intent URI (to target your Windows desktop app) or a web link. You can also supply a preview image and define a short lifetime for the resume activity.
- Windows activation. Your desktop app should register a protocol handler (Win32, UWP, or Windows App SDK/WinUI 3) to receive the context arguments and open to the right state. If you don’t have a desktop app, you can route to a web endpoint instead.
- Apply for access. Because Resume is gated as a limited‑access capability, partners must request enablement for production scenarios. In testing, you’ll validate that Link to Windows receives and forwards your contexts and that your desktop app handles them correctly.
- You control the hand‑off. The resume alert only appears when there’s a recent, active context from your phone. Clicking is an explicit user action to continue.
- Account matching. For experiences like Spotify, you must be signed into the same account on phone and PC; otherwise, the desktop app can’t map your session.
- Enterprise considerations. Organizations can restrict Link to Windows and cross‑device features. If you’re managed, your IT admin may disable device linking or background communication between phone and PC.
- No taskbar alert appears
- Verify you’re on an eligible Insider build in Dev or Beta and that “Get the latest updates” is enabled in Windows Update.
- Ensure Link to Windows shows “Connected” on both devices.
- Confirm your phone allowed the app to run in the background and battery optimizations do not restrict it.
- Check Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices on the PC: the toggle must be On, and your Android phone must be listed and allowed.
- Wait; controlled rollouts can take time even on the right build.
- Clicking the alert opens Spotify but not at the right spot
- Make sure the same Spotify account is used on both devices.
- Confirm you actually have active playback on the phone when you click the toast; the resume window is time‑sensitive.
- The toast keeps asking to install Spotify even though it’s installed
- Launch Spotify once on the PC and sign in, then try again. If needed, uninstall/reinstall from the Microsoft Store to refresh the app registration.
- You never receive alerts, but everything else looks correct
- On some systems, notification focus or quiet hours can suppress toasts; temporarily disable Focus/Do Not Disturb.
- Sign out and back into Link to Windows on phone and PC, then reconnect.
- Reboot both devices.
The concept is similar — move a current activity from one device to another with a single click — but the implementation reflects Windows’ heterogeneous ecosystem:
- Windows leans on app‑provided context and protocol activation so the desktop app decides how to open to the right state, and it can fall back to the web when appropriate.
- The first wave targets Android via Link to Windows, meeting users where they are without requiring a single‑vendor phone/PC pairing.
- One‑click app install inside the resume flow is a Windows‑specific convenience that eliminates setup friction.
- More apps. The Spotify launch sets the pattern for categories like reading, productivity, communications, and learning to adopt Resume.
- Deeper Windows integration. Today, the entry point is a taskbar alert. Over time, expect Windows surfaces such as Start, Search, or the Recommended feed to reflect your recent mobile activities more prominently as partners onboard.
- Broader availability. As with most Insider features, Microsoft typically expands from Dev to Beta and then to production after feedback.
- Enrollment. The feature depends on Link to Windows and the “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices” control in Bluetooth & devices. If your organization disables phone linking, users won’t see resume prompts.
- App controls. Because the desktop app receives the context, normal software restriction policies (store access, install permissions, or app whitelists) still apply. The one‑click install will respect those controls.
- Privacy. Evaluate whether cross‑device context and install prompts align with your organization’s data handling policies, then communicate guidance to users.
- Scenario A: Fresh PC without Spotify
1) Ensure you’re on the latest Dev or Beta build with the “latest updates” toggle enabled.
2) Pair your Android phone in Mobile devices and complete Link to Windows onboarding.
3) Start playback in Spotify on Android. Wait for the taskbar alert and click it.
4) Verify one‑click install from Microsoft Store occurs; sign in to Spotify; confirm playback resumes at the same media item. - Scenario B: App already installed
1) Sign into Spotify on both devices with the same account.
2) Play a podcast episode on Android.
3) Click the Windows resume alert; confirm the desktop app opens to the exact episode at the current timestamp. - Scenario C: Network and account edge cases
1) Switch Spotify accounts on the PC and try resuming; confirm it prompts for sign‑in or fails gracefully.
2) Toggle Focus (Do Not Disturb) on Windows and verify whether the toast is suppressed; check Notification Center for a queued alert. - Feedback
- Use Feedback Hub (WIN + F) > Devices and Drivers > Linked Phone. Include steps, screenshots, and device models.
- Is this feature only for Spotify?
- Today’s rollout showcases Spotify first. The underlying platform is generic — any partner app that integrates Continuity SDK and a Windows activation path could participate.
- Does this work without installing the desktop app?
- Partners can choose a web fallback. When a desktop app exists, Windows will prefer launching it via a protocol URI for the best native experience.
- Will this work if my phone is on cellular and my PC is offline?
- The resume alert relies on cross‑device communication and a known endpoint on the PC. If your PC lacks connectivity to fetch content or sign in, you may open the app but fail to load the precise state.
- Can I turn it off?
- Yes. Disable the Mobile devices access toggle on your PC or unlink your phone in Link to Windows. You can also mute notifications if you don’t want resume alerts.
- Does this store my app data on Microsoft’s servers?
- The system passes a compact context descriptor and parameters to your PC so the desktop app can open to the correct state. Your app account and content remain governed by the app’s own services and sign‑in.
Windows has been steadily stitching phone and PC together, but this is the moment where continuity becomes tangible for everyday users. The fact that Windows not only opens the right app but also gets you to the exact place you left off — and even installs the app for you if needed — reduces the mental tax of switching devices. It’s early days, and yes, the initial integration is narrow. But the model scales: if partners adopt Continuity SDK, Windows can greet you with “Want to continue that message, doc, or lesson?” — and mean it.
How to talk about it with your team
- For product managers: Consider whether your Windows desktop app (or web client) can accept a deep‑link plus arguments to open to a specific user state. If yes, Continuity SDK integration on Android should be on your roadmap.
- For developers: Prototype with a private build and a registered protocol handler in your Windows app. Validate that your AppContext serialization/deserialization is robust and secure.
- For IT: Define a policy stance on Link to Windows and cross‑device features; if enabled, publish guidance on privacy and appropriate use.
“Resume from your phone” is a small surface with big implications. It’s a user‑visible tip of a new platform iceberg: a continuity layer that gives Windows a shared memory of what you were doing on your phone and the power to carry it forward. If the partner ecosystem shows up, Windows becomes not just where you work, but where you can always continue.
Source: Tech Edition New feature begins rolling out to Windows Insiders
Source: ProPakistani Windows 11 Will Let You Resume Android Apps on Windows
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