You lot just took a photo or screenshot on your Android phone and want to use it on your Windows 10 figurer; or, maybe you texted someone on your phone and would similar to continue the chat on your estimator. Yous can do both courtesy of Microsoft's Your Phone feature.

By pairing your phone with Windows and setting up the Your Telephone Companion app, you lot tin can view and admission recent photos and get your text messages. Android 7.0 or higher is required to use the Your Telephone app; on the PC, Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Version 1803) or higher is required.

The initial setup process can be tricky, and for at present, this works but with Android devices (sad, iPhone users). Simply in one case everything is in identify, you should find this an effective way to grab photos and messages from your Android phone at your Windows 10 computer.

Encounter: Windows ten ability tips: Hole-and-corner shortcuts to your favorite settings (Tech Pro Research)

Beginning, you need to link your Android telephone to Windows 10. To do this, open Settings and click the category for Phone. At the Your Phone settings screen, click the button to Add A Phone (Figure A).

Figure A

Confirm your Microsoft account if prompted and and so click the push to Link Phone. Type the phone number for your Android phone and click the Send push (Effigy B).

Figure B

You should receive a text on your phone with a link to install the Your Phone Companion app–click that link and install the app from Google Play. Open up the app and sign in with your Microsoft Business relationship. Allow the Your Phone Companion app to access your photos, media, and files on your device. Then Allow it to send and view SMS messages. Next, Allow the app to make and manage phone calls. Finally, Allow information technology to admission your contacts (Effigy C).

Figure C

Decide whether to let the app always run in the background. Assuasive it to run in the groundwork ensures that you'll exist able to access the latest photos and text messages in Windows x, but the background process chews upward more battery life on your telephone. To endeavour out the procedure initially, I advise you Allow the app to run in the background; you tin ever change that setting later on you lot know that the characteristic works correctly.

Next the app needs to check your PC before moving onto the next step. Y'all should meet a message in Windows 10 prompting y'all to send a notification to your phone–click the Send button. On your phone, tap Permit in the notification. Your telephone and PC are now connected (Figure D).

Effigy D

Brand sure your phone has photos or screenshots in the Google Photos app. In the Your Phone app on your computer, select the entry for Photos so click the button to Encounter Photos (Effigy E).

Figure E

You should run into recent photos, screenshots, or other images you lot've taken on your telephone (Microsoft limits your access to the terminal 25 photos or screenshots taken on your telephone). As you capture boosted photos and images, they should automatically appear in the Your Phone app. You can also click the Refresh link to brand certain that the latest ones pop up (Effigy F).

Figure F

Next, attempt viewing your latest text messages. Select the entry for Messages and click the button to See Texts (Effigy G).

Effigy Thousand

Your latest text messages should appear. Click a specific message to view it. At the lesser of the screen, you lot can reply to the message if you wish. You can as well create a new message by clicking the New Message button at the top and and so composing and sending your message (Figure H).

Effigy H

Troubleshooting help for the Your Phone app

The process doesn't e'er get smoothly–I've tried it a variety of times and take bumped into hiccups. For example, sometimes the initial link between your telephone and figurer may not boot in. If you run into whatsoever problems along the manner, bank check Microsoft's Assist page on the Your Phone app for more information and troubleshooting steps.