Samsung Galaxy Connect Now Works With Even More Windows Computers.
iPhone and Mac work seamlessly together in a variety of ways, whether you’re controlling your Apple phone from your Mac or using it as a webcam . Apple calls this set of features Continuity, and it extends to iPad and Apple Watch as well—so by staying in the Apple ecosystem, you’re guaranteed to have devices that work seamlessly together.
Features like those offered by Apple’s Continuity aren’t as readily implemented by Google, Samsung, and Microsoft, but everyone outside of Apple is busy improving the experience across devices. Pixels and Chromebooks now offer several useful integrations , as do Samsung Galaxy phones and Galaxy Book laptops.
Samsung features controlled by the Galaxy Connect app are now available on non-Samsung Windows 11 PCs, making them available to a much wider audience. All you need is a Windows 11 PC with an Intel or AMD processor (ARM-based PCs are not yet supported).
The extension was quietly announced in the release notes for version 2.1.6.0 of the Galaxy Connect app, available in the Microsoft Store. Once installed, you can use it in the following ways.
Getting Started with Galaxy Connect
After downloading and launching Galaxy Connect, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your Samsung account. To use Galaxy Connect, you’ll need one of these accounts, and presumably you already have one that you use with your Galaxy phone. Afterward, you’ll be taken to the Galaxy Connect main page, which consists of four main sections.
The first feature is “Continue on Other Devices.” This basically means copying and pasting, so if you copied something on your computer, you can then switch to your Galaxy phone and paste it there (or vice versa). As with all Galaxy Connect features, both devices must have Bluetooth enabled and be on the same Wi-Fi network.
Enabling this feature with the toggle also syncs your Wi-Fi network information. For example, if you previously connected to a Wi-Fi network using your Windows 11 laptop, when your Samsung phone detects it, it will already know the password—you just need to tap it to connect.
Another feature is camera continuity: Samsung says it allows you to “take photos or scan documents on your phone or tablet, then continue working on them in apps like Samsung Notes on your computer.” However, it’s unclear how this works, and I wasn’t able to figure it out—perhaps Samsung could work on this.
The next item in the Galaxy Connect menu is easier to understand and is called “Storage Sharing .” Navigate to this section, turn on the toggle, and an additional entry for “Storage Sharing” will appear in Windows 11 File Explorer. (If your phone doesn’t appear, make sure “Connected devices > Storage sharing” is enabled in your Galaxy phone’s settings.)
This provides easy access to all the content on your phone and allows you to transfer files between both devices without the need for syncing apps or cables. This is truly how file sharing between a computer and a phone should be—it took us a few years, but we finally got it right.
How do the Multi-Control and Second Screen features work in Galaxy Connect?
The other two sections in Galaxy Connect are a bit more complex and require additional downloads. These aren’t simple on/off switches, but rather additional settings. Once you select them, you’ll be redirected to the download page for the corresponding app from the Microsoft Store.
First up is the Multi control feature , which essentially lets you control your phone from your laptop or desktop: you can arrange your phone and PC as if they were a secondary display, then redirect your Windows 11 cursor to your Galaxy phone and back again simply by moving it off-screen in the direction you want.
When the cursor leaves the computer screen and moves to the phone screen, you can use the mouse and keyboard to control your Galaxy phone. This makes typing and highlighting information much easier. And if you need to transfer text, links, or images to your computer, you can simply drag them off the edge of the screen back to the desktop.
The final Galaxy Connect feature is “Second Screen,” and as you might guess from the name, it lets you use your Galaxy device as a secondary display for your computer—though it only works with tablets, not smartphones, so I haven’t tested it directly. Again, you can position the two screens relative to each other.
You get all the benefits typically associated with a second screen, such as more space to place apps and windows away from the main desktop until you need them. This is also convenient for running something in the background, such as a video or social media feed, without taking up space on the main screen.
Microsoft Phone Link
If you’re familiar with Windows and phone syncing, you might be wondering where Microsoft’s Phone Link app fits in. You can use it either in conjunction with Galaxy Connect or instead (if the Samsung app isn’t working for some reason). It replicates some of the features found in Galaxy Connect, including quick file swapping and clipboard syncing.
Phone Link also offers additional features, such as the ability to mirror your phone’s screen on your Windows desktop, as well as manage notifications, text messages, and calls from your computer (saving you from constantly switching between devices). Find Phone Link in your taskbar or Start menu, then follow the instructions to connect your phone.