Microsoft has started testing a native Android-to-PC handoff in Windows 11—beginning with Spotify—so you can start a song or podcast on your phone and continue with a single click on your desktop, complete with a one‑click app install if Spotify isn’t already on your PC. The preview is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels as part of KB5064093 (Build 26200.5761 in Dev and 26120.5761 in Beta), and surfaces as a new taskbar “Resume” alert that mirrors the convenience of Apple’s Handoff—but for Windows and Android. (blogs.windows.com, theverge.com)
For years, Microsoft has chipped away at the divide between phones and PCs. The company rebranded “Your Phone” to Phone Link and steadily added features such as calling, messaging, notifications, photo sync, and selective app streaming on supported Android devices. The new Android app handoff builds on that foundation, but uses a shell‑level prompt in Windows 11 so the handoff feels like a feature of the OS rather than a separate utility.
If the idea sounds familiar, it should. Apple introduced Handoff as part of its Continuity suite alongside OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, enabling users to pick up tasks—mail, browsing, maps, and more—across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and later Apple Watch. Microsoft has pursued similar ambitions intermittently since “Project Rome” in the Windows 10 era, but broad adoption never materialized. The refreshed push in Windows 11 aims to make continuity more visible, more native, and crucially, easier for third‑party developers to support. (support.apple.com, learn.microsoft.com)
The company even teased this direction publicly: at Microsoft Build, a now‑edited session showed a Cross Device Resume demo with Spotify, where a small phone badge on the taskbar invited the user to resume on PC. That public glimpse framed today’s Insider rollout—and it hinted that apps beyond Spotify, like WhatsApp, could be next. (theverge.com, windowscentral.com)
That said, relying on existing cloud context can have quirks: some Spotify users have noticed queue resets or inconsistent behavior when switching devices. Because Windows’ Resume hands off into the desktop app, the actual continuity feel will still be subject to how the service manages session state—and that can vary depending on the app and scenario.
Seen through that lens, cross‑device handoff is not a consolation prize—it’s the practical evolution of Microsoft’s cross‑device strategy after WSA’s deprecation.
For IT and enterprises, two angles stand out:
The work ahead is about partnerships and polish. To truly rival Apple’s Handoff convenience, Microsoft needs a critical mass of apps to ship Resume support—and to make the experience predictable, private, and delightful. But the pieces are finally in place: Phone Link is mature, the shell UI is cohesive, and the Continuity SDK gives developers a clear playbook. If Microsoft can bring more apps aboard and keep the handoff feeling instantaneous, Cross Device Resume could become one of the most useful upgrades to everyday Windows life. (theverge.com, learn.microsoft.com)
Source: Пепелац Ньюс https://pepelac.news/en/posts/id238-windows-11-tests-android-app-handoff-with-spotify-support/
Background
For years, Microsoft has chipped away at the divide between phones and PCs. The company rebranded “Your Phone” to Phone Link and steadily added features such as calling, messaging, notifications, photo sync, and selective app streaming on supported Android devices. The new Android app handoff builds on that foundation, but uses a shell‑level prompt in Windows 11 so the handoff feels like a feature of the OS rather than a separate utility. If the idea sounds familiar, it should. Apple introduced Handoff as part of its Continuity suite alongside OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, enabling users to pick up tasks—mail, browsing, maps, and more—across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and later Apple Watch. Microsoft has pursued similar ambitions intermittently since “Project Rome” in the Windows 10 era, but broad adoption never materialized. The refreshed push in Windows 11 aims to make continuity more visible, more native, and crucially, easier for third‑party developers to support. (support.apple.com, learn.microsoft.com)
The company even teased this direction publicly: at Microsoft Build, a now‑edited session showed a Cross Device Resume demo with Spotify, where a small phone badge on the taskbar invited the user to resume on PC. That public glimpse framed today’s Insider rollout—and it hinted that apps beyond Spotify, like WhatsApp, could be next. (theverge.com, windowscentral.com)
What Microsoft is testing now
- A new Windows 11 taskbar “Resume” alert appears when a supported activity is active on your Android phone (for now, Spotify playback).
- Clicking the alert opens Spotify on Windows and continues from the exact position you left off on mobile. If Spotify isn’t installed, Windows offers a one‑click Microsoft Store install and then hands off playback after sign‑in.
- The experience is rolling out gradually to Insiders in Dev build 26200.5761 and Beta build 26120.5761 under KB5064093.
How the Android-to-PC handoff works
A shell-level prompt, not phone mirroring
Unlike the now‑retired Windows Subsystem for Android, this feature doesn’t try to run your phone’s apps on the desktop. Instead, Windows 11 receives lightweight context from your Android session, recognizes a corresponding Windows app, and opens that app directly to the right place. For Spotify, that means playback continues on the PC—no emulator, no window from your phone, and no remote stream of your handset’s UI. It’s app‑to‑app context transfer, not app streaming.The components behind the scenes
The handoff builds on three core pieces:- Phone Link / Link to Windows: the longstanding bridge between your Android device and Windows PC, responsible for pairing, permissions, and background communication.
- Cross‑Device Experience Host (CDEH): a modern Windows component delivered via the Microsoft Store that handles cross‑device signals and UI surfaces like taskbar badges or alerts.
- Continuity SDK (Resume / XDR): a developer-facing framework that lets Android apps publish “AppContext” metadata (what you’re doing and where to resume) and Windows apps register how to open to that exact place. Notably, Microsoft currently treats Resume as a Limited Access Feature that developers must request before integrating.
Requirements and availability
- Windows 11 PC enrolled in the Dev Channel (Build 26200.5761) or Beta Channel (Build 26120.5761), both under KB5064093.
- Phone Link setup on the PC and Link to Windows on the Android phone, with background permissions allowed.
- The same Spotify account signed in on both devices (for the initial scenario).
- Gradual rollout: even on the right build, the “Resume” alert may take time to appear as Microsoft stages exposure.
Step-by-step: try it on Windows Insider builds
- On your PC, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices and switch on “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices,” then choose Manage devices to link your Android phone.
- On your Android phone, open Link to Windows and allow it to run in the background. This keeps the Resume signal reliable.
- Start playback in Spotify on your phone. When the Resume alert appears on your PC taskbar, click it to continue on desktop. If Spotify isn’t installed, let Windows install it in one click from the Microsoft Store.
Why Spotify first?
It’s a smart proving ground. Spotify Connect already synchronizes playback and device state across phones, desktops, and speakers. Windows 11’s approach elevates that convenience by surfacing a native, OS‑level prompt and by streamlining the “catch‑up” flow with a one‑click desktop install. In other words: it reduces friction at the exact moment you want to move from pocket to PC.That said, relying on existing cloud context can have quirks: some Spotify users have noticed queue resets or inconsistent behavior when switching devices. Because Windows’ Resume hands off into the desktop app, the actual continuity feel will still be subject to how the service manages session state—and that can vary depending on the app and scenario.
How this compares to Apple’s Handoff
- Scope: Apple’s Handoff spans a broad set of first‑party apps and many third‑party apps, with deep OS support on both iOS and macOS. Microsoft’s equivalent is starting small—one scenario, one partner app—and depends on Phone Link and developer integration.
- Platforms: Apple controls both sides (iPhone/iPad and Mac). Microsoft must bridge heterogeneous ecosystems (Android OEMs, app stacks, and Windows). The Continuity SDK and LAF gating reflect that reality: developers opt in and work with Microsoft to enable the experience.
- UI: Both surface subtle affordances—a dock icon on macOS or a taskbar badge/alert on Windows—nudging users to complete a task on the other device with minimal friction.
Strategic context: WSA is gone, continuity is the path
Microsoft’s decision to end support for the Windows Subsystem for Android (and Amazon Appstore on Windows) by March 5, 2025, effectively closed the chapter on running Android apps natively on Windows. In its place, the company is betting on a lighter, more scalable model: letting app makers exchange context so users can fluidly switch devices without hosting the phone’s runtime on the PC. That’s simpler to maintain, faster to start, and more respectful of each platform’s strengths. (theverge.com, developer.amazon.com)Seen through that lens, cross‑device handoff is not a consolation prize—it’s the practical evolution of Microsoft’s cross‑device strategy after WSA’s deprecation.
Developer view: what it takes to support Resume
Microsoft’s documentation outlines how partners can integrate Cross Device Resume (XDR) using the Continuity SDK:- Android apps publish an AppContext—compact metadata that describes what to resume and how.
- Windows apps register handlers (URI schemes or protocol activations) to open directly into the right view, document, episode, or conversation.
- Resume is currently a Limited Access Feature; developers must request approval (with scenario details and package info) before integrating with Link to Windows.
Strengths and real-world benefits
- It feels like Windows. The prompt is in your taskbar, governed by Windows notifications and privacy controls. No juggling floating windows or remote mirroring sessions.
- Frictionless app acquisition. The one‑click Microsoft Store install closes a common gap: you can resume even if you never installed the desktop app beforehand.
- Performance and battery. By launching the native desktop app, you avoid the latency and overhead of streaming your phone screen or running an Android VM on PC.
- A clear model for partners. The Continuity SDK defines a clean handoff contract, encouraging developers to add “pick up where you left off” without reinventing their own cross‑device sync.
Risks, gaps, and open questions
- Limited app support (for now). The feature only works with Spotify at launch. Until more partners ship integrations, the handoff may feel sporadic in daily life. Microsoft’s Build demo suggested a broader ambition, but plans can change.
- Reliance on background services. The experience depends on Phone Link and the Cross‑Device Experience Host. Users who aggressively limit background activity or who encounter Store package hiccups may need to troubleshoot to keep handoff reliable.
- Session-state inconsistencies. Because the PC app is resuming from the service’s notion of “where you left off,” any quirks in the app’s own cloud sync model (e.g., a playlist queue reset) will carry through.
- Privacy clarity. Microsoft says the feature relies on context, not content, but users will rightly ask: what metadata moves between devices, for how long, and under what policies? The Limited Access gating for the SDK suggests Microsoft is taking this seriously, yet clear, user-facing explanations will be key as more apps come aboard.
Practical tips and troubleshooting
If you’re in the Insider Channels and not seeing the prompt:- Verify you’re on the correct build and that the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle is enabled. Controlled rollouts mean not everyone gets features immediately.
- Confirm that Link to Windows has background permission on Android and that Phone Link is signed in on your PC.
- Ensure Cross‑Device Experience Host is present and up to date via Microsoft Store. If needed, you can try installing or repairing it with:
winget install 9NTXGKQ8P7N0
Keeping the Connected Devices Platform service running can also help.
Where this could go next
The most obvious expansions:- Messaging and calls: Handoff into a specific conversation in WhatsApp or a Teams call already in progress. Microsoft’s Build demonstration used WhatsApp imagery alongside Spotify, hinting where the company wants to take this.
- Reading and writing: Continuing an article from a mobile browser to Edge on desktop, or opening the same draft you started on your phone in Outlook for Windows. Project Rome and Graph “Activities” already defined patterns for these kinds of verbs.
- Media and navigation: Jumping from a podcast app to a Windows client at the right timestamp, or passing a route from your phone to a maps experience on PC while planning a trip. Microsoft’s own announcement references favorite tracks and episodes as the starting point but leaves the door open.
What it means for Windows users and IT
For consumers, the benefit is obvious: you no longer think in terms of devices, you think in terms of activities. Start here, finish there—ideally without hunting for the right app or file. The “Resume” alert encourages that mindset every time you sit down at your PC.For IT and enterprises, two angles stand out:
- Productivity with oversight: If Microsoft extends Resume into Microsoft 365 apps, organizations will want admin controls to scope which apps are allowed to publish and consume cross‑device context. Controlled rollouts and LAF gating suggest enterprise readiness is on the radar.
- Security posture: Because this model passes context not content, it could limit data leakage compared to mirroring. Still, expect guidance about what metadata crosses devices and how it’s protected at rest and in transit.
A deliberate step toward seamless cross‑device Windows
Microsoft’s new Android app handoff in Windows 11 is modest in scope but ambitious in implication. It replaces clunky “share to PC” rituals with a taskbar‑native nudge that knows what you were just doing and helps you pick up right where you left off—starting with Spotify. It’s also a marker: after closing the book on WSA, Microsoft is doubling down on continuity as the way to make Windows feel connected to the devices we actually use all day. (blogs.windows.com, theverge.com)The work ahead is about partnerships and polish. To truly rival Apple’s Handoff convenience, Microsoft needs a critical mass of apps to ship Resume support—and to make the experience predictable, private, and delightful. But the pieces are finally in place: Phone Link is mature, the shell UI is cohesive, and the Continuity SDK gives developers a clear playbook. If Microsoft can bring more apps aboard and keep the handoff feeling instantaneous, Cross Device Resume could become one of the most useful upgrades to everyday Windows life. (theverge.com, learn.microsoft.com)
Quick start recap for Windows Insiders
- Join the Dev or Beta Channel and install KB5064093 (Build 26200.5761 or 26120.5761).
- Enable “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices” in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices.
- Pair your Android phone with Phone Link, allow Link to Windows to run in the background.
- Play something in Spotify on your phone and click the taskbar Resume alert on your PC to continue.
- If you don’t see the prompt yet, keep your system updated and the Insider “latest updates” toggle on—this is a staged rollout.
Source: Пепелац Ньюс https://pepelac.news/en/posts/id238-windows-11-tests-android-app-handoff-with-spotify-support/
