Microsoft's Your Phone 'Android apps on PC' feature is rolling out to non-Insiders

Two weeks ago Microsoft released a major new feature for their Your Phone app – the ability to run your Android apps on your PC.

The feature streamed your Android apps to your PC via the Your Phone app into a stand-alone window and allowed you to pin them to your taskbar, just like regular desktop apps, and even on release worked very well, delivering a relatively polished experience.

The feature was then only available to Windows 10 Insiders in the Dev ring on Build 20185.  Today Microsoft announced that the feature as also rolling out to non-Insiders.

The newest #YourPhone feature: Apps, has started rolling out further. So some of you may see your Phone screen entry switch over to Apps (even if you're not a Windows Insider). Available on select Android devices https://t.co/2p00jSOkwn #FeatureFriday pic.twitter.com/bWArDMvBWw

— Analy Otero Diaz (@AnalyMsft) August 14, 2020

The feature currently only works with select Samsung handsets (see list of supported devices here) and can currently only stream one app at a time, though Microsoft is promising an update later this year which would allow multiple apps to be streamed from your phone to your PC, exclusively for Samsung Galaxy Note 20 users.

The feature offers:

• See a list of your installed Android apps directly within the Your Phone app.
• Add your frequently used apps to the favorites section or search among your apps for even quicker access.
• Launch any mobile app directly from your PC.
• Apps and your mirrored phone screen launch in a separate window on your PC.
• Pin your mobile apps to Windows Task bar or Start menu.
• Stay in the know by keeping an eye on the app notification badging (unread notifications) in the All apps list or your Favorites.

Apps feature requirements:

• PC running Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later. However, we always recommend updating to the latest version of Windows 10, Your Phone app and Link to Windows.
• Available on select Android phones running Android 9.0 or greater with the Link to Windows integration. Check out the list of supported phones here.
• Phone and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Known Issues/Limitations:

• Some apps might block the ability to cast to other screens and you will see a black screen instead.
• Some games and apps might not respond to interactions from your PC mouse or keyboard. You will need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.
• Audio from apps will play from your mobile device.
• Ability to run multiple apps will rollout out later in the year.

If you have a supported Samsung handset, check your Your Phone app to see if this great new feature has reached your device.