Android 14 update makes streaming apps to Windows annoying, but a workaround found for Samsung devices

If you’re a fan of using Link to Windows to stream apps from your Android phone to your PC, you might have noticed a frustrating change after updating to Android 14. Now, you must manually grant permission to record the screen whenever you want to launch a new app. This is a significant departure from previous versions, where you only had to do this once per boot.

The culprit behind this annoyance is a change in the way the MediaProjection API works in Android 14. MediaProjection is the tool that apps use to record the screen. In the past, many apps, including Link to Windows, would reuse the same intent returned by the API to avoid repeatedly asking for permission. However, in Android 14, this approach throws a SecurityException.

Thankfully, this issue doesn’t affect app streaming to Chromebooks. That’s because Chrome OS uses a different set of Companion App Streaming APIs, introduced in Android 13 and specifically designed for this purpose.

While a permanent fix is still in the works, there’s a workaround for Samsung devices running Android 14 that allows you to bypass the constant permission requests, as seen on Twitter. Here’s how:

1. Download the “App Ops – Permission Manager” app from Google Play.
2. Go through the setup process, which involves downloading a secondary app called Shizuku. Shizuku acts as a helper to enable the App Ops app to access certain normally inaccessible APIs using the shell UID.
3. Find “Link to Windows” in the list and scroll until you see “Project media.”
4. Change it from “Ignore” to “Allow”.

You should now be able to stream apps from your Samsung phone to your Windows PC without constantly granting permission.

The change in the MediaProjection API in Android 14 has undoubtedly made using Link to Windows more cumbersome. However, the workaround for Samsung devices offers a temporary solution until a permanent fix arrives.