Microsoft tests new "Handoff" function between Windows and smartphones

During the Build conference, Microsoft demonstrated a function called "Cross Device Resume", which, similar to Apple's "Handoff" between macOS and iOS, is intended to enable apps to work more seamlessly between Windows and Android. The function can already be found in the Release Preview Channel.

"Handoff" function for Windows 11 using the example of Spotify

The function was first spotted in a pre-recorded session of Microsoft Build 2025. However, the relevant part was subsequently removed from the YouTube video, as Windows Central reports. The X user "phantomofearth" was able to secure a screenshot of the function.

During the session, Aakash Varshney, Senior Product Manager for Cross-Devices and Experiences at Microsoft, demonstrated the function using Spotify as an example: When users use the app on their smartphone, Windows 11 will be able to display a small app icon of the corresponding application in the taskbar. When users click on the app icon, the Spotify app will open on Windows and music playback will resume at the same point where it left off on the smartphone.

"Cross Device Resume": New Windows function in the Release Preview Channel

The idea of a more seamless app resume function under Windows is not new: Microsoft tested a similar feature on Windows 10 back in 2016. The function was developed under the codename "Project Rome" at the time and was intended to enable developers to write apps that "can run on multiple devices and accompany the user when switching between devices".

The new cross-device function could be a replacement for "Project Rome". As the part of the build session was removed from the video, it probably means that Microsoft was not yet ready to present the cross-device function – to the public, at least using Spotify – as an example. After all, the "Cross Device Resume" feature has appeared in the Release Preview Channel: Build 26100.4188 initially only offers the function support for Onedrive files, however.

Microsoft has been working on integrating Windows and smartphones more closely for years. On the smartphone side, the manufacturer offers the "Phone Link" app to make it easier to send files back and forth between devices, write messages directly on the Windows computer and answer calls. Microsoft recently announced that it would enable access to Android and iOS devices directly from the Start menu. However, Microsoft plans to make this function available in Europe at a later date.

(afl)