Hands-on with Windows 10's new 'Your Phone' Android SMS features

Last calendar week, Microsoft rolled out a 2d new feature to the Your Phone app on Windows 10 that further integrates your smartphone and PC. Now, Windows Insiders can test out SMS capabilities in addition to Photos sync, assuasive you to send, receive, and read SMS conversations that yous're having on your Android phone in the Your Phone app.

It'south still a little rough

I've been giving the new SMS capabilities a become over the last several days, and my first impressions are somewhat mixed. I dearest the user interface in the Your Telephone app. It uses columns, with the middle one showcasing all the conversations on your telephone, and the far right one showing your selected conversation in full.

The app tin sync all current SMS conversations from whatever SMS app you're using on your phone, and even syncs your contacts then that you tin start new conversations directly from the Your Phone app, as well. The idea is that you shouldn't always take to selection up your phone to initiate or reply to SMS messages. I have noticed that contact photos don't sync, however, meaning everyone has a blank contour motion picture in conversation windows.

The actual syncing between your phone and PC could apply some work. When you fix up the SMS syncing for the first time, information technology works well, but soon after it begins to really boring downwardly. I often find at present that new SMS messages aren't showing up in the Your Telephone app at all unless I striking the transmission "refresh" button to force the app to resync with my phone.

This also means that the app isn't ever automatically refreshing for new SMS messages, and as such I'm often not receiving popup notifications when using another app when an SMS comes in, making the SMS sync capabilities useless. The Your Telephone app appears to stop performance if the app itself closes, pregnant you won't receive popup notifications when a new SMS message comes in unless the Your Phone app is open.

You likewise tin can't answer to messages directly from popup notifications, which is annoying. I'm not specially satisfied with the overall speed of sending messages, either. Information technology takes around v seconds, sometimes more, for a message to send. This is because it's sending the message directly to your phone through Wi-Fi, and it's just not fast. I shouldn't have to press a manual refresh push button to see new letters. It should just testify upwards right when a new message hits my telephone.

Not perfect simply lots of potential

Your Telephone is yet in preview testing, so in that location'due south enough of time for Microsoft to fix these issues. I'd love for them to add contact profile photos and meliorate how the Your Phone app syncs and presents new messages. It also really needs to be faster if information technology's going to be useful. Right now, the SMS syncing experience is rather frustrating.

Microsoft is expecting to ringlet out Your Phone to the public alongside the Windows 10 Oct 2022 Update in early October. So far, the app only works with Android phones, because Apple tree refuses to let third-parties access data like SMS conversations for syncing with the Your Phone app.

Have you lot tried Your Phone? Permit the states know in the comments.

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was always the lack of Windows Phone

History catches upwards

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was always the lack of Windows Telephone

What is the hereafter for Microsoft (and Windows) mixed reality? The latest report from Business organisation Insider sheds some light, but this all comes back to one major problem for Microsoft: No mobile Windows Bone. But what about a future headset that is deject-based? Some thoughts on what could happen for Microsoft mixed reality.