Microsoft is bridging the gap between Android phones and Windows 11 PCs with a new “Cross-Device Resume” feature, announced on August 22, 2025. Rolling out now to Windows Insiders, the function allows users to seamlessly continue mobile app sessions on their desktop, a direct challenge to one of the Apple ecosystem’s most valued conveniences.
The initial implementation for now works with Spotify as a start, letting a user listening to a track on their phone pick it up on their PC with a single click on a taskbar alert. If the app isn’t installed, Windows will prompt a one-click download from the Microsoft Store. This move signals a significant step in creating a more cohesive and integrated user experience between the world’s most popular mobile and desktop operating systems.
How Cross-Device Resume Works
The new functionality, detailed in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5761, is designed for simplicity. When a user is running a supported app like Spotify on their Android phone, a “Resume alert” appears on their PC’s taskbar, provided both devices are on the same network and linked.
Clicking this alert launches the corresponding desktop app, automatically continuing the session. This eliminates the need to manually find your place, whether it’s a song, podcast, or another task. The system is smart enough to handle cases where the app isn’t yet on the PC, initiating a quick install.
This seamless transition is a key part of Microsoft’s strategy to deepen the integration offered by its Phone Link platform. The company is clearly aiming to make the Windows PC a central hub for a user’s entire digital life, regardless of their mobile device’s operating system.
A Modern Take on an Old Idea
While the feature feels fresh, its conceptual roots run deep. The functionality is widely seen as Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s long-standing “Handoff” feature, which provides similar continuity across the iOS and macOS ecosystems. For years, Handoff has been a powerful incentive for users to stay within Apple’s hardware family.
Microsoft’s own efforts in this area date back several years. The company first explored cross-device experiences with its “Project Rome” SDK, released for Android back in 2017. That early initiative laid the groundwork for developers to build apps that could discover and interact with Windows devices, but it saw limited mainstream adoption.
Today’s “Cross-Device Resume” is a far more polished and user-friendly implementation of that original vision. To encourage adoption, Microsoft is inviting developers to integrate the feature into their own apps using the official Continuity SDK, hoping to build a vibrant ecosystem of connected applications that its predecessor lacked.
Availability and Getting Started
The feature is currently available to Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels running the latest preview builds. Getting started requires a few simple setup steps. Users must first navigate to Windows Settings and enable “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices.”
On their Android phone, they need to ensure the “Link to Windows” app is installed and has permission to run in the background. This persistent connection is crucial for the resume alerts to function reliably. Finally, users must be logged into the same account on both the mobile and PC versions of the app.
This rollout is part of a broader push to enhance Phone Link, which has recently gained features like OCR for text extraction from images and deeper integration into the Windows 11 Start Menu. Microsoft is methodically building a more powerful and convenient bridge between devices, making Windows a more attractive platform for the vast majority of smartphone users who own an Android device.
