How to Connect Your Phone to Windows 10 and Sync Photos and Messages
Microsoft’s Your Phone app allows you to connect your phone (Android or iOS) to your Windows 10 PC. And after successful connection, you can sync photos and text messages from your Android phone to Windows 10. Take a picture on your phone and you can see it on your PC. Besides that you can now send text messages from your PC using Your Phone app. However, on iPhone, you can only send webpages from iPhone to Windows 10.
On Android, Your Phone app allows you to view, send and receive the SMS on your computer. And you can easily copy photos from your phone to Windows 10 easily using Your Phone app. So, in this tutorial, we are going to show you how to connect your Android with your Windows 10 PC using ‘Your Phone’ app and access photos and text messages stored on your phone via your PC.
NOTE: Your Phone app supports phones with Android version 7 or higher. So, you need to have an Android phone running Android Nougat 7.0 or higher.
Send Text Messages and Access Photos Stored on Android Phone via PC using Your Phone App
Step 1: Install Your Phone App on Windows 10
If you are running latest build of Windows 10, you probably have Your Phone app already installed in your PC. However, if you don’t have Your Phone app installed in your Windows 10 PC, you can install it from Microsoft Store.
After installing, launch Your Phone app. You will see option to select your phone type (Android or iPhone), select Android and click Continue. If you are connecting your iPhone with Windows 10, select iPhone instead of Android.
Step 2: Sign in with Microsoft Account
Now, click Sign in with Microsoft button to Continue. Make sure you have your Microsoft account ready. If you don’t have Microsoft account, you can create one here.
Next, sign in using your Microsoft account. If you already have signed in with Microsoft account on Windows 10, you can select existing account and click Continue.
SEE ALSO: How to Sign in with Microsoft Account in Windows 10?
Step 3: Open QR Code in Your Phone App on Windows 10
After you have signed into Your Phone app using Microsoft account, it will ask you to install Your Phone app on Android phone. Check the box for “Yes, I finished installing Your Phone Companion” and click on Open QR code button.
Next, you will see a QR code to scan using your phone. We will use this QR code to connect your phone to Windows 10 PC using Your Phone Companion app on Android.
Step 4: Install Your Phone Companion on Android
Now, open Play Store on your Android phone and install Your Phone Companion app. After installing the app, open it. Your Phone Companion app will show options to Sign in with Microsoft account or Scan a QR Code. Tap on “Is there a QR code on your PC?” link to scan QR code from previous step.
Next, tap on Continue and allow Camera access to Your Phone Companion app. After that scan the QR code on your Windows 10 PC using Your Phone Companion app on your Android phone. After scanning the QR code, your android phone will connect to your Windows 10 PC via Your Phone app.
Step 5: Allow Permissions to Your Phone Companion app
It’s time to setup Your Phone Companion app’s permissions on your Android phone. Tap on Continue and Allow the app to override battery optimizations. It will help the app to run in the background and seamlessly sync photos and messages between your phone to Windows 10.
Next, you will see prompts to allow access to Phone, Messages and Media. Tap on Allow each time and finally tap on Done to finish the setup.
Step 6: Allow Your Phone App to Sync Media over Mobile Data
You will see a pop asking you to send usage data to Microsoft for improving the app. You can Cancel or Allow as per your wish. Now, you have successfully connected your phone to Windows 10 using Your Phone app. You can now sync your photos and text messages from your Android phone to Windows 10 PC.
By default Your Phone Companion uses only Wi-Fi to sync data between your phone and Windows 10 PC. But you can also allow the app to sync photos and messages over mobile data. Let’s change this setting first.
Tap on Settings (gear icon) at the top right corner in Your Phone Companion app. Next, tap on Sync over mobile data and turn on the toggle for Sync over mobile data. Now, your phone will sync with your PC using mobile data as well. Be warned, this may eat up your mobile data pretty quickly.
Your Phone has now successfully connected with your Windows 10 PC. It’s time to sync Photos and Messages between your Android phone and your PC.
Step 7: Connect Your Phone to Windows 10 and View Messages
After successful connection between your Android phone and Windows 10 PC via Your Phone app, you can view your messages from Android phone on your Windows 10 PC. You can always click on Refresh link to sync latest messages to your Windows 10 PC.
SEE ALSO: How to Install Official WhatsApp App on your Windows PC?
Step 8: Text from PC using Your Phone app
Besides reading, you can also send text messages from your PC using the Your Phone app. Simply click on “+ New Message” button and select the contact to send the text message.
After that type the message that you want to send and click on send button at the bottom right corner.
Message will be sent to selected recipient just like from your Android phone.
Step 9: Verify Text Received on Android Phone
Now, open Messages on your Android phone. You will see the same conversation there also. In this tutorial we have sent text message to and from same number. So, you will see sent and received messages in same conversation.
SEE ALSO: How to Use Disappearing Messages in Signal Messenger?
Step 10: Sync Photos from Your Phone to Windows 10 PC
Just like text messages, you can also sync photos from your Android phone to your PC. Besides viewing, you can also copy them to your computer. Just select Photos icon from left bar and you will see photos from your Android phone on your PC. You can also click on Refresh button to sync latest photos from your Android phone to your PC.
Connect Your Phone to Windows 10 and Sync Photos and Messages
Your Phone app gives you flexibility to type messages with keyboard, pen device or even you can dictate the message using your microphone. However, Your Phone Companion app on Android is available for the phones running at least Android Nougat 7.0 or higher. But most of the phones these days run even higher version of Android, so, that won’t be a problem. Now, you can leave your phone on table and reply to messages from your PC.
Hope you like the tutorial and Your Phone app. You can report issues and bugs in feedback hub on Windows 10. And if you face issues while following this tutorial, feel free to write them in comments down below. You may also subscribe to our newsletter and get latest tutorials via email.
SEE ALSO: How to Sync Contacts from Gmail to iPhone or iPad?
