Windows 11’s quietly expanded “Cross‑Device Resume” turns what used to be a OneDrive-only convenience into a pragmatic handoff system for Android-to‑PC workflows — but the feature’s promise and its present limitations deserve close scrutiny before you assume it will replace your manual context-switching routines. ([support.microsoft.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/cross-device-resume-feature-9ada0c0b-f70f-4806-abac-b7126fa6a053)
Background / Overview
Microsoft first shipped a modest “resume” capability tied to OneDrive that allowed recently opened Office and PDF files on a phone to be suggested on a paired Windows PC. That early rollout was deliberately narrow: it worked for cloud-backed documents and within a tight timing window. Over the last several Insider updates, Microsoft reworked the architecture and broadened the scope so Android apps and certain OEM browser sessions can publish a compact activity descriptor that Windows maps to a desktop handler. The change moves the feature from “cloud-only file reopening” to something closer in spirit to Apple’s Handoff — without streaming the phone UI itself.
The current expansion is shipping via Release Preview builds (identified in Microsoft’s notes as KB5074105 for OS builds in the 26100.x and 26200.x families), and Microsoft has described availability as staged and gated — meaning not every Windows 11 PC or Android phone will see the experience at once. Early, named examples include resuming Spotify playback, continuing Microsoft 365 files opened from the Copilot mobile app, and resuming a browsing tab from vivo Browser on compatible Vivo devices.
What Cross‑Device Resume actually does
The user-facing promise
At the user level, Cross‑Device Resume behaves simply: when you perform a supported action on a linked Android phone, Windows 11 may display an icon on the taskbar annotated with a phone badge or surface a small resume card. Clicking the notification opens the best available handler on the PC — ideally a native desktop app or, failing that, a browser fallback — and attempts to restore your context (playback position, document, or tab). If a required desktop app isn’t installed (Spotify is the canonical example), Windows will prompt you to install it.
What it feels like in practice
- Start a podcast or song in Spotify on your Android phone; a small Spotify phone-badged icon may appear on your PC’s taskbar. Click it to open Spotify on the PC at the same playback position.
- Open a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file in the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app on certain OEM devices; the PC will offer to open the same file in the desktop Office app (or in the browser if Office isn’t installed).
- Browse on vivted Vivo phone and resume the same tab in your PC’s default browser.
How it works (technical breakdown)
AppContext: the lightweight handshake
At the center of the system is a compact metadata payload called an
AppContext. Instead of streaming the phone’s UI, the phone publishes an AppContext to the Link to Windows / Phone Link service (or via an authenticated server pathway). The AppContext typically contains:
- A short-lived context identifier to prevent stale prompts.
- A deep link or public web link pointing to the resource or state.
- A small title and optional preview bytes used for UI affordances.
Windows receives the AppContext, resolves the best desktop handler (preferring native apps and falling back to the browser), and surfaces a one-click affordance to the user. That approach minimizes bandwidth, improves privacy surface area, and sidesteps the complexity of running Android UI on the desktop.
Two integration routes for developers
Microsoft exposes two primary integration paths:
- A direct, device-side integration via the Continuity SDK (also called the Continuity/Resume API), which is gated as a Limited Access Feature. Apps that gain access can publish AppContexts directly to the phone‑to‑PC channel.
- A server-side route where an app’s backend can send a resume notification via Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) or other authenticated channels. This reduces the need for deeper phone-side access but still requires OEM and Microsoft approval for the integration.
Both routes are designed so the PC consumes metadata rather than raw local files. That’s why
offline files stored only on the phone are explicitly not supported — the system expects cloud-accessible resources or a web URL the PC can reach.
Link to as the conduit
For the everyday user, the practical requirement is that your phone must be paired with your PC — typically via the Link to Windows or Phone Link app — and both devices must have internet access. The phone must also allow background activity so it can publish AppContexts when relevant. Windows lists these prerequisites explicitly and enables the feature by default when conditions are met.
Supported apps, OEMs, and the current limitations
Named, supported scenarios (as of the Release Preview notes)
- Spotify — Resume playback from mobile to PC. If the Spotify desktop client isn’t installed, Windows will prompt for installation.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot — Resume online Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files opened in the Copilot mobile app on select OEM phones (HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, vivo, Xiaomi). Files open in the desktop Office apps if installed, otherwise in the browser. Files stored only locally on the phone are not supported.
- vivo Browser — Resume a browsing session from vivo Browser on Vivo phones into the PC’s default browser.
Multiple news outlets and preview notes confirm this initial app and OEM list. Reviewers have noted the feature’s similarity to Apple’s Handoff, though Microsoft implements it differently (metadata handoff rather than UI streaming).
The most important caveats
- Support is very limited at launch. The list of compatible apps is short, and even within supported apps, availability varies by OEM and region due to partner gating and staged rollout controls.
- Many scenarios require that the content be cloud‑accessible (OneDrive or any web-hosted file). Local-only phone files are not visible to the resume system.
- Some browser handoffs are OEM-exclusive (vivo Browser is the example called out), meaning Pixel or other phone users may not see parity yet.
- Access to the Continuity SDK is gated; third-party developers must request access and adhere to Microsoft’s onboarding process. This slows rapid ecosystem-wide adoption.
Requirements and rollout mechanics
Device and software requirements
- PC: Windows 11 (recent builds; the expanded feature is tied to releases in the 26100.x / 26200.x family).
- Phone: Android 10 or later and Link to Windows (phone must be listed under Mobile devices in PC Settings).
- Connectivity: Both devices must be online for resume to function.
- Pairing: Phone must be linked to PC via Link to Windows / Phone Link; background activity permissions must be enabled on the phone.
Rollout model: staged and gated
Microsoft is distributing the expanded Cross‑Device Resume via Release Preview and Insider channels while using server-side gating (Controlled Feature Rollout) and per-account enablement. That means timing is variable: some users on supported builds will see the capabilit will wait as Microsoft monitors telemetry, reliability, and partner integrations. Expect a gradual arrival to mainstream Stable channel users.
Privacy, security, and enterprise implications
Cross‑Device Resume deliberately operates on metadata instead of transferring raw local files, which reduces some data-exfiltration risks. AppContext lifetimes are short, and Microsoft authenticates channels to prevent spoofing. However, the feature introduces several important surfaces organizations and privacy‑conscious users should consider:
- Metadata can still leak sensitive information. Even a short preview title or a deep link to a corporate document could surface on a personal PC or a coworker’s shared device if pairing and identity controls are not tightly managed.
- The system relies on Link to Windows and Microsoft account sign‑in in many flows; enterprises should evaluate how resume integrates with conditional access, device management policies, and data loss prevention (DLP) rules. Until Microsoft publishes explicit enterprise guidance and fine-grained controls, IT teams should treat Cross‑Device Resume like any new cross‑device continuity feature — assess, pilot, and then roll out.
- The Continuity SDK is a Limited Access Feature. Microsoft’s gating allows the company to control which apps and OEMs can publish AppContexts, reducing the chance of malicious actors piggybacking on the channel — but this central control also concentrates trust in Microsoft’s onboarding and vetting process.
Comparison: Cross‑Device Resume vs Apple Handoff (and past Microsoft attempts)
Apple’s Handoff sends an app-level handoff that integrates tightly across iOS and macOS, often exposing the actual app state within the new environment. Microsoft’s strategy is different in two meaningful ways:
- Microsoft uses a metadata-first approach (AppContext) and resolves the content to a desktop-native app or web fallback, intentionally avoiding streaming an Android UI onto Windows. This reduces complexity but imposes stricter constraints on what can be resumed.
- Apple controls both OS and hardware tightly; Microsoft must coordinate with many Android OEMs and app vendors. That multi-party coordination increases rollout friction and explains the OEM-specific behavior we’re already seeing (vivo Browser, OEM list for Copilot resume).
Historically, Microsoft attempted cross-device continuity through Project Rome and other initiatives. Cross‑Device Resume reflects a pragmatic pivot: instead of virtualizing the entire Android experience or shipping a full Android runtime, Microsoft is building a lightweight developer API and letting apps publish what matters. That’s efficient, but it trades breadth for simplicity in the short term.
Developer can join the party
If you’re an app developer, Microsoft published developer guidance and a Continuity SDK that explains how to implement AppContext publishing, lifecycle handling, and handoff resolution. However, onboarding is controlled:
- The Continuity SDK is Limited Access. Interested developers must request access and justify their use case to Microsoft, including UX mockups and context.
- Implementation involves initializing the SDK, creating AppContexts, publishing/updating/deleting them as the user moves through app activities, and handling retries when the phone is disconnected.
- Apps can also use a server-side path to surface resume affordances via authenticated WNS pushes, which can be simpler for services with central backends.
The onboarding friction means adoption will likely start with large partners and OEMs (Spotify, Copilot, major phone vendors) before mid-tier and indie developers join. That’s precisely what we’re seeing.
Practical tips for users (enable, disable, troubleshoot)
- Enable/Disable: Cross‑Device Resume is enabled by default when prerequisites are met. To manage it, go to Settings > Apps > Resume on your Windows 11 PC and toggle tr per-app. This is the fastest way to stop resume prompts you don’t want.
- Pairing: Ensure your Android phone is listed under Mobile devices in your PC’s Settings and that Link to Windows / Phone Link is installed and permitted to run in the background on your phone. Without a healthy Link connection, AppContexts won’t propagate.
- Cloud files only: If a document is purely local to your phone’s storage, resume won’t see it. Upload to OneDrive or another supported cloud service if you want handoff to work for documents.
- App parity: If clicking a resume prompt asks you to install an app (Spotify example), accept the prompt and sign in on the PC to restore continuity. If you prefer web fallbacks, you can keep the desktop app uninstalled and still resume where supported.
Early impressions: why the feature matters — and where it falls short
Cross‑Device Resume is one of the more pragmatic continuity efforts Microsoft has shipped in years. Its design choices — metadata-first, handler-resolution, and fallback-to-web — are realistic for the fragmented Android ecosystem. For users who switch between phone and PC frequently, the convenience is immediate: fewer manual steps to reopen music, documents, or tabs. Early reviewers and insiders praised the smoothness of the taskbar affordance and how it reduces friction in common scenarios.
That said, the feature feels like a controlled preview with three main weaknesses today:
- Narrow app support: Only a handful of apps and OEMs are supported at launch, so the daily utility will vary widely by user.
- Cloud dependency: Requiring cloud-accessible resources excludes many legitimate workflows where files remain local for latency or privacy reasons.
- Gated developer access: The Limited Access SDK and OEM partnerships will slow broad third-party adoption and may favor big vendors.
In short, the technical architecture is sound, and the UX is promising — but adoption will determine whether Cross‑Device Resume becomes a day‑to‑day convenience or stays a neat novelty.
What Microsoft should (and likely will) do next
- Expand developer access and provide a clear, managed onboarding program for smaller dev teams to encourage broader adoption.
- Add enterprise controls for admins (policy templates, DLP integration, conditional access gating) so organizations can safely allow or restrict resume flows.
- Broaden OEM parity by working with core Android vendors and browser makers so resume flows aren’t fragmented by phone brand.
- Consider optional local-only, end‑to‑end encrypted resume flows for privacy-sensitive users who refuse cloud storage — although this would be technically more complex.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s Cross‑Device Resume is an important step toward a less fractured mobile-to-desktop experience on Windows 11. The approach is pragmatic: use a compact AppContext handshake, honor native desktop handlers, and fall back to web when needed. That keeps the feature light, responsive, and more secure than streaming UIs across devices. However, the current rollout is deliberate and limited: app support is small, OEM-specific restrictions apply, and cloud-only content rules out many real-world scenarios for the moment. If Microsoft accelerates developer onboarding, adds enterprise-grade controls, and broadens OEM support, Cross‑Device Resume could become a regular part of how people move work and media between Android phones and Windows PCs. Until then, it’s a promising convenience that reviewers love to demo and many users may not yet be able to rely on daily.
Source: MakeUseOf
Windows 11 has a hidden "Cross-Device Resume" feature most people don't know about