Assuming you didn’t do so at the time, we’ll take you through the procedure and call out a few things you should know before you start.

Windows 11 prompts you to connect your smartphone during its initial setup process. Here, however, we show you how to connect an Android phone and a Windows 11 PC for a richer mobile-and-desktop integrated setup. That said, you can connect an iPhone to a Windows PC for some basic file-transfer functions. Microsoft has stated it wants to bring the same functionality for iPhones to Windows, but Apple has long been uninterested in releasing users from lock-in with its products. If you have an iPhone, you can also connect it to a computer running Windows 11, but you won’t get the same depth of experience Android users do. Windows users can finally claim at least parity with mobile-to-desktop functionality described here, which Microsoft updated in March. Apple Silicon-based Macs go even further, with mobile-app-running capability.

Most impressive of all, with some Android phone models you can simultaneously use multiple mobile apps right on your computer.įor years, Apple has topped Windows in terms of mobile-desktop integrations with macOS’s ability to let users text and make calls from their desktop. All you have to do is connect your Android device to Windows 11. Windows 11 lets you see that photo and reply to that message right from your keyboard. You get a text message, but you don’t want to dig out your phone to reply to it while you’re working on your PC. You take a picture on your phone, and now you want to see it on a bigger screen. Connecting the two lets you send text messages, see notifications, instantly grab photos, and even run apps from your Android on your Windows 11 PC.

Open your phone companion