Windows 11’s New Cross‑Device Resume Arrives for Insiders: What KB5064093 Adds in the Dev and Beta Channels
By WindowsForum News Desk
Published: August 23, 2025
Summary
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5761 in the Dev Channel and 26120.5761 in the Beta Channel under cumulative update KB5064093. The headline feature is Cross‑Device Resume: start listening in Spotify on your Android phone and a “Resume” alert appears on your PC’s taskbar. Click once, and playback continues in the Spotify desktop app—complete with a one‑click install flow if Spotify isn’t already on the PC. The same flight also brings a refined battery icon to the lock screen, a long‑requested Window Mode for screen recording in Snipping Tool, small but meaningful input and sharing improvements, and a handful of fixes. Some Copilot+ PC experiences also see incremental updates. The rollout is gradual, so you may not see every feature immediately.
What is Cross‑Device Resume?
Cross‑Device Resume is Microsoft’s latest continuity feature for Windows 11 that connects activity on your Android device to your desktop. At launch, Microsoft is focusing on media continuity: you can begin listening to a song or podcast in Spotify on your phone, then resume that exact track or episode on your Windows PC with a single click. A taskbar notification labeled “Resume” appears on your PC shortly after you start playing audio on the phone; selecting it opens Spotify for Windows and continues playback from the saved position.
Under the hood, Cross‑Device Resume leans on the existing bridge between Android and Windows—Link to Windows on the phone side and Windows’ Mobile devices integration on the PC side. It’s “assistive” rather than intrusive: you don’t have to pick up your phone, manually copy links, or re‑search for tracks. Most important for end users, the experience works even if you haven’t installed Spotify on the PC. Windows offers a one‑click install from the Microsoft Store when you hit the Resume notification, then signs you into Spotify so playback can continue seamlessly.
At launch, support focuses on Spotify; Microsoft is inviting other app makers to integrate next. The company’s messaging makes clear this is a platform feature, not a one‑off. Expect the roster of supported apps to widen as developers adopt the necessary hooks.
Who gets it, and when?
On August 22, 2025, Microsoft began shipping:
- Dev Channel: Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5761 (KB5064093).
- Beta Channel: Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.5761 (KB5064093).
- It may take days or even a couple of weeks before the “Resume” alert shows up for you, even if you’re on the correct build.
- Turning on the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle in Settings can increase your chances of seeing it earlier.
Requirements checklist
Before you try Cross‑Device Resume, double‑check the following:
On your PC
- You’re on either Build 26200.5761 (Dev) or 26120.5761 (Beta) with KB5064093 installed.
- Settings > Windows Update > “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” is turned on if you want early access to features being staged.
- Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices is available on your system. This page controls device access and pairing for Cross‑Device features.
- Notifications are enabled, since the Resume experience starts with a taskbar alert.
- If you plan to use Spotify, having the desktop app installed helps, but it isn’t mandatory. If it’s missing, Windows offers a one‑click pathway to install it when the alert appears.
- The Link to Windows app (preinstalled on many devices, otherwise available in your phone’s app store) is set up and signed in.
- Background permissions for Link to Windows are allowed. If the app is suspended aggressively by the phone’s power management, the resume signal may not reach your PC reliably.
- You’re signed into the same Spotify account on the phone and the PC. Cross‑Device Resume relies on account parity to hand off playback precisely.
- Keep both devices online. A stable internet connection allows Windows to fetch the desktop app (if needed) and Spotify to sync your last played position instantly.
- While Microsoft hasn’t listed a strict requirement to use the same Microsoft account across devices for this feature, having consistent sign‑ins across Windows and Link to Windows is good hygiene for all cross‑device experiences.
1) Allow PC access to your phone
- On your PC, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices.
- Turn on “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices.”
- Select Manage devices and follow the on‑screen pairing flow to connect your Android phone.
- Open Link to Windows on your phone and complete setup.
- Confirm the app has permission to run in the background and to communicate with your PC. If your device has aggressive battery optimization, exempt Link to Windows to keep it responsive.
- Start playing a song or podcast in Spotify on your Android phone.
- Within a short time, look for a “Resume” alert on your Windows taskbar.
- Click the alert. If Spotify is installed, the app opens and continues from your last position. If it’s not, Windows initiates a one‑click install from the Microsoft Store, then opens Spotify to resume playback.
Troubleshooting tips
- No alert appears on the taskbar: Check that your PC is on Build 26200.5761 (Dev) or 26120.5761 (Beta) and that the “Get the latest updates” toggle is on. Because this is a staged rollout, you might simply be in a later wave. Also confirm Windows notifications are enabled and not suppressed by Focus or a Do Not Disturb schedule.
- Alert appears but nothing happens: Ensure your PC account and your Spotify sign‑in are current, and that the phone and PC share the same Spotify account. If the desktop app isn’t installed, allow Windows to complete the one‑click install flow.
- Link to Windows stops working after a while: On the phone, disable any battery optimization that puts Link to Windows to sleep. Some Android vendors are aggressive about background tasks, which can break cross‑device experiences.
- Handoff picks the wrong track: Make sure you’re logged into the same Spotify identity on both devices. If you recently switched accounts, sign out and sign back in on both devices.
Cross‑Device Resume uses your existing phone‑to‑PC connection built on Link to Windows and Windows’ mobile devices integration. You remain in control of what gets handed off because the experience is notification‑driven—nothing automatically launches on your PC without your click. You can:
- Turn off Mobile devices access in Settings on the PC at any time.
- Remove the phone from the Manage devices list.
- Control Link to Windows permissions and background access from the Android settings panel.
Microsoft’s language signals Cross‑Device Resume is designed for a broader class of apps. Music and podcasts are obvious first choices because they’re easy to demonstrate and verify. Expect productivity, reading, and other media apps to explore resume scenarios as developer documentation and SDKs roll out more widely. For now, if your favorite service isn’t supported yet, it’s a matter of time and developer adoption rather than a limitation of the OS concept.
Other features in KB5064093 you should know about
While Cross‑Device Resume steals the spotlight, both Insider flights include numerous refinements. Here’s what else is notable this week.
A more informative battery icon—now on the lock screen
Windows 11’s reworked battery icon—designed to be more legible at a glance—extends to the lock screen in these builds. That means when you wake your PC or walk by it, the battery state and percentage are easier to parse without signing in first. It’s a small change with outsized impact for laptop and tablet users who want quick context before committing to a session away from a charger.
Snipping Tool gains Window Mode screen recording
A frequent request lands in the Beta (and Release Preview) Channels: Snipping Tool now supports Window Mode for screen recording. Instead of drawing a rectangle on the screen, you can select a specific app window as your recording region:
- In Snipping Tool, switch to Record in the capture toolbar.
- Open the Recording area dropdown and choose Window Mode.
- Select the target app window. Snipping Tool sizes the capture region to that window automatically.
New keyboard shortcuts for typographical dashes
Windows adds shortcuts for typographers and anyone who writes a lot:
- Win + Minus inserts an en dash (–).
- Win + Shift + Minus inserts an em dash (—).
Windows Share gets pinning
In recent Dev and Beta builds, the Windows Share dialog is experimenting with pinning. You can pin your most‑used share targets so they’re always at the top of the panel, shaving clicks when you share content repeatedly to the same apps and services. Keep an eye on this as Microsoft tunes the experience based on Insider feedback.
Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), Settings agent, and Click to Do—Copilot+ refinements
Owners of Copilot+ PCs see some incremental updates:
- Auto SR on Snapdragon‑powered Copilot+ PCs gets simplified settings and new ways to configure scaling directly from toast notifications.
- Agent in Settings adds direct navigation links from search results to their underlying settings pages, reducing the number of clicks to action a suggestion.
- Click to Do (Preview) picks up a touch‑friendly invocation: press and hold with two fingers anywhere on a Copilot+ PC touchscreen to select what’s under your fingers and launch relevant actions. Think of it as a gesture‑driven shortcut to the same feature that today responds to Win + Click with a mouse or touchpad.
Highlights include:
- Settings performance improvements when loading the Installed apps list.
- A fix for an issue where the new “Copy current user settings to the welcome screen and system accounts” option under Time & Language > Language & region could crash Settings for some Insiders.
- Work to reduce instances where Windows Hello recognizes your face at the sign‑in screen but still fails and prompts for a PIN. If you still see this, try Improve recognition under Settings > Accounts > Sign‑in options > Facial recognition.
- Game performance work when overlays (like Game Bar) are on top of your game—especially on multi‑monitor systems with mixed refresh rates. If you encounter issues, Microsoft specifically asks for performance traces with feedback.
If you develop on Arm64 PCs and rely on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), note that a crash affecting Visual Studio in certain scenarios is addressed after installing an accompanying .NET update identified as KB5064402. If you’re hitting WPF‑related instability in these builds on Arm64, make sure to grab that .NET update once it’s offered to you.
Known issues to watch
- Recall in the EEA: Some Insiders in the European Economic Area may find Recall not working correctly after recent flights. Microsoft’s workaround is to reset Recall from Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots > Advanced settings > Reset Recall.
- File Explorer: The Shared section in Home may appear even when it has no content to show.
- Temporary files scan: In Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files, scan progress may stall; in related cases, “Previous Windows installations” might not appear when it should.
- Xbox controllers over Bluetooth: Some Insiders report a bugcheck (blue screen) when using an Xbox controller via Bluetooth. Microsoft’s temporary remedy is to open Device Manager, switch the view to Devices by driver, locate the entry named along the lines of “oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf),” and uninstall that driver.
If you’re new to the Windows Insider Program:
- Join the program from Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program on your PC.
- Choose either the Dev Channel (build 26200.5761—this follows the 25H2 development track) or the Beta Channel (build 26120.5761, aligned to 24H2).
- Turn on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.” This toggle is important for features that are staged gradually to subsets of Insiders.
- Check for updates in Settings > Windows Update.
- Confirm you’re on the expected build number for your channel after installation.
- Reboot when prompted to complete the update and enable the feature work that ships with KB5064093.
Microsoft wants more apps to integrate with Resume so users can pick up tasks fluidly as they move between devices. If you build a Windows desktop client and an Android client for the same service, the new integration points allow you to signal resumable activities and teach Windows how to launch the right place in your desktop app. Microsoft has published developer guidance for this integration and is actively seeking feedback from early implementers via Feedback Hub.
How Cross‑Device Resume compares to other ecosystems
Windows users have long asked for simpler device‑to‑PC handoff akin to what some mobile‑first ecosystems offer. Cross‑Device Resume pushes Windows further into that territory without demanding proprietary hardware on both ends. A typical scenario—Spotify on an Android phone and a Windows laptop—now requires nothing more exotic than the Link to Windows bridge and the PC’s desktop app. It’s not the end of the journey, but it’s a practical, high‑impact step that benefits millions of devices right away.
The one‑click “if you don’t have the desktop app, install it now” flow is particularly savvy. It’s not just a nicety; it removes a point of failure in the handoff. Too often, continuity features degrade into “open the desktop app and then sign in and then find the track.” Here, Windows shortens that to an alert and a single click—even for first‑time setups.
What this means for Windows users day‑to‑day
- You’ll waste less time context‑switching. Cross‑Device Resume removes the friction of finding and reopening the content you were just using on your phone.
- Notifications become more actionable. The Resume alert isn’t just informational; it’s your one‑click bridge to the desktop experience.
- The lock screen becomes more informative. With the new battery icon and percentage, you can make a quick call on whether to carry a charger without unlocking.
- Tutorials and bug reports get easier. Snipping Tool’s Window Mode recording is perfect for capturing a single app—great for support tickets, developer repros, or lightweight walkthroughs.
- Small polish items add up. Typographical dash shortcuts, share‑target pinning, and Settings performance work don’t make headlines, but they smooth the edges of daily use.
Does Cross‑Device Resume work with apps other than Spotify?
At launch, the experience is scoped to Spotify. Microsoft is inviting developers to add integrations, so support should broaden over time.
Do I need the Phone Link app on my PC?
Windows now centralizes the setup under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices. You don’t have to manually launch Phone Link on the PC to use Cross‑Device Resume; however, the underlying Link to Windows/Phone Link ecosystem still powers the connection, and its services may run in the background as needed.
Will this work if my phone is an iPhone?
Cross‑Device Resume is rolling out for Android phones via the Link to Windows app. The handoff and background permissions it relies on aren’t presently available in the same way on iOS.
What happens if Spotify isn’t installed on my PC?
Clicking the Resume alert triggers a one‑click install from the Microsoft Store. After the app installs, Windows opens it and resumes playback. You’ll be prompted to sign in to Spotify if you aren’t already.
Why don’t I see the Resume alert yet?
Feature availability is staggered. Make sure you’re on Build 26200.5761 (Dev) or 26120.5761 (Beta), the “Get the latest updates” toggle is on, Link to Windows has background access on your phone, and notifications are enabled on your PC. If all of that checks out, the feature will arrive as Microsoft expands the rollout.
Is there anything IT admins should worry about right now?
Microsoft hasn’t announced enterprise policy controls specific to Cross‑Device Resume in this flight. If your organization manages Link to Windows or Phone Link policies, those existing controls will continue to govern what is or isn’t allowed. As always, evaluate Insider features in test rings before broad pilot deployments.
Final thoughts
With KB5064093, Microsoft isn’t just shipping another cumulative update—it’s pressing forward on continuity and convenience. Cross‑Device Resume makes the common case of “I was listening on my phone and want to continue on my laptop” frictionless. The new lock screen battery icon is an immediate quality‑of‑life improvement for mobile PCs. Snipping Tool’s Window Mode recording will quietly save time for power users, creators, and support pros. Add in the smaller touches across input, sharing, performance, and Copilot+ enhancements, and this Insider flight is one of the more consequential mid‑cycle updates in recent months.
If you’re in the Dev or Beta Channels, install Build 26200.5761 or 26120.5761 with KB5064093, turn on “Get the latest updates,” and give Cross‑Device Resume a spin with Spotify. It’s a glimpse at a Windows that follows you from your pocket to your desk without making you think about the seams—and that’s exactly the kind of polish the platform needs as it heads deeper into the 25H2 era.
Source: Windows Report Windows 11 Gets Cross-Device Resume With KB5064093 Update In Dev & Beta Channels