For those who’re a Home windows and Android consumer who has been envying the iPhone mirroring capabilities of macOS, there’s a related function you should utilize — albeit with a caveat.
First, the excellent news: this can be a free device that’s constructed proper into Home windows 11, with no further obtain required. It really works as a part of Cellphone Hyperlink, Microsoft’s app for syncing calls, pictures, and contacts out of your telephone to its desktop working system.
The dangerous information? Whereas many Cellphone Hyperlink options — corresponding to the power to see messages or make calls — work with any Android telephone or iPhone, mirroring your apps to Home windows is just supported by a choose variety of handsets. Most up-to-date Samsung Galaxy telephones work, as do some handsets from OnePlus and Asus.
There’s a full list here, however assist is being prolonged on a regular basis. Even when this doesn’t work together with your present Android telephone, it’s value checking again occasionally to see if something has modified.
The advantages are the identical as they’re for iPhone mirroring: you get to make use of your apps on an even bigger display, with a mouse (or trackpad) and keyboard. For those who’re gaming, picture enhancing, or doing a number of typing, that may make an actual distinction.
Assuming this function does work together with your telephone, right here’s tips on how to set it up. These directions are based mostly on Home windows 11 with a Galaxy S25 Extremely working One UI 7.0, however the course of might be related on different handsets.
For those who’ve by no means used Cellphone Hyperlink on Home windows earlier than, setting this connection up comes first. You’ll discover Cellphone Hyperlink preinstalled and out there on the Begin menu. You may launch it from there or seek for it from the taskbar.
- You’ll be requested to pick Android or iPhone as your cell machine. Click on Android on the opening display to arrange an Android telephone.
- Use the digital camera in your Android machine to scan the QR code displayed by Home windows.
- This opens the Cellphone Hyperlink Android app in your telephone (or prompts you to put in it, if it’s not put in already).
- In your telephone, faucet Sign up, then register to the identical Microsoft account you’re utilizing on Home windows. Alternatively, chances are you’ll be given a code out of your pc to enter into the cell app.
- You’ll be requested for quite a lot of permissions: to permit Hyperlink to Home windows to ship and look at SMS messages, make and handle telephone calls, entry your contacts, entry your telephone name logs, take footage and report video, entry pictures and movies in your machine, permit it to ship you notifications, and let it all the time run within the background. You may change these permissions within the app’s settings.
With that carried out, you ought to be into the primary Cellphone Hyperlink interface on Home windows. So long as the Cellphone Hyperlink app is in your Android machine, the connection might be established robotically.
Within the Cellphone Hyperlink app on Home windows, particulars of the telephone you’re linked to are proven within the top-left nook. You need to use the tabs alongside the highest of this system interface to entry data and information in your telephone: Messages, Images, Apps, and Calls.
Run Android apps out of your telephone
Open the Apps tab in Cellphone Hyperlink on Home windows, and also you’ve acquired a few choices. For those who click on Open telephone display, you get a real telephone mirroring expertise. Each motion you are taking in your pc is mirrored in your telephone display, and vice versa. You may even change between them for those who’d like.
Alternatively, you may click on on an app shortcut to entry it with out opening it up in your telephone (it’ll nonetheless be working in your telephone, however within the background). Nothing reveals in your Android machine, and you may even use a distinct app for those who’d like. On this second mode, for those who attempt to open an app on Android that’s already being utilized by Cellphone Hyperlink, you’ll see an alert and a immediate. You may then both change to utilizing the app in your telephone or keep it up utilizing it on Home windows.
Going for the true telephone mirroring is barely extra handy for those who’re switching between gadgets loads, however it’s going to drain your handset’s battery sooner. For those who’re not utilizing your telephone in the meanwhile, launching apps by Cellphone Hyperlink (relatively than full mirroring) is normally the most suitable choice.
Whilst you’ve acquired apps up on Home windows, the actions are all pretty intuitive:
- Click on as soon as to register a single faucet.
- Click on and maintain to register a faucet and maintain.
- Click on and maintain and drag to pick content material.
- Proper-click to return to the earlier display.
- Use a mouse or trackpad to scroll horizontally or vertically.
You may change between panorama and portrait modes in your telephone, and the change might be mirrored on Home windows. You too can click on the maximize button on the Home windows app (the sq., prime proper) to make the mirrored display bigger.
Any audio taking part in in your telephone ought to play by your Home windows PC. To vary this and different settings, corresponding to copy and paste throughout gadgets and the way notifications are synced, click on the gear icon within the top-right nook of the Cellphone Hyperlink app on Home windows.
To shut an Android app in your Home windows display, click on the X within the top-right nook.