Microsoft Is Finally Working on a Worthy Answer to Apple’s “Handoff” Feature.
Love it or hate it, the Apple ecosystem does have its advantages. Take the ” Handoff ” feature, for example. It lets you work in one app on one device, then continue working in the same app on another. You can start an article in Safari on your iPhone and then finish it on your Mac, without having to Google the relevant section and scroll back and forth. It’s not 100% guaranteed to work, but when it works, it’s fantastic.
Microsoft offers a similar feature in Windows, though it’s so limited that you might not even know it exists. It’s called “Resume,” and the idea is to let you continue working in an app from another device on your PC. These are primarily Android apps; so if you have a PC and an Android phone, Resume can offer the same benefits as a Mac and iPhone user. However, so few apps work with Resume that it’s effectively useless.
The moment of “passing the baton” is approaching for Microsoft.
As Windows Latest noted , Microsoft is making significant changes to the Resume feature. The company recently updated its Resume support document , confirming that Microsoft is opening up the feature to more Android apps.
The accompanying document doesn’t specify which specific apps might appear, but that doesn’t necessarily make this news exciting; rather, it means that many more Android apps are likely to appear—provided their developers simply join the project.
Download Newsletter
As Windows Latest explains, the reason for these limitations of the Resume feature is due to strict API restrictions from Microsoft. Currently, only apps with access to the Link to Windows API can use the Resume feature. Many Android developers either don’t know how to work with this API or simply can’t because their apps aren’t compatible with it.
However, the latest Resume update offers developers another option: they can now use the Windows Notification System (WNS), a built-in API that is much more widely adopted and supports many more apps. However, developers can’t simply update their apps with WNS and expect compatibility with Resume. Microsoft informed Windows Latest that developers must apply directly to Microsoft for approval. The application must include the developer’s WNS registration, the app’s Package SID, a brief description of the app’s features, and screenshots of the running app.
It’s essentially like registering for the TSA PreCheck program: most of us who apply will likely be approved, but they don’t allow just anyone to join. You need to provide proof of eligibility and pass a background check before arriving at the security checkpoint. This will likely work well for anyone interested in using Resume: all available apps will be vetted by Microsoft, so only legitimate and useful apps offering data linking capabilities should be available.
How to enable the resume playback feature in Windows
These changes likely won’t be rolled out to Windows anytime soon. However, you can prepare for them now by enabling this feature. To get started, go to Settings > Apps, then scroll down until you find Resume. Enable this feature here. You’ll likely see that the only compatible app is OneDrive. You can enable it if you like, allowing you to work on a document on both your Android device and your PC.