Setting up and using phone screen in the Your Phone app

Phone screen allows you to interact with all your favorite Android apps and device content directly on your PC, through a Wi-Fi connection.

To use phone screen, you’ll need:

A PC running Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later. However, we always recommend updating to the latest version available.

To check and update your Windows version, on your PC go to Settings > Updates & Security > Check for update.

To confirm you are running Windows 10 October 2018 Update (or later), on your PC go to Settings > System > About and check your version number under Windows specifications. It should read either 1809 or higher).

Your PC also needs to be using a graphics card (GPU) that supports DirectX11. Learn how to check your version of DirectX

Your Android device and PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

You will need to have a supported Android device. Check the list of supported devices to verify yours will work.

Open the Your Phone app and go to Phone screen.

Follow the setup instructions. You may receive a permissions request to access information on your Android device. Allowing these permissions lets the Your Phone app display content from your device.

If you encounter issues while setting up Phone screen, these troubleshooting tips may help.

What devices are supported?

Phone screen is available on Android devices in select markets running Android 9.0 or greater that have Link to Windows installed (for some devices, it may be preinstalled).

Here are some examples of devices that have Link to Windows installed and will work with Phone screen:

Samsung Galaxy Note9 series

Samsung Galaxy S9 series

Samsung Galaxy Note10 series

Samsung Galaxy S10 series

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Samsung Galaxy Note20 series

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

How do I interact with Phone screen?

You can use your PC’s mouse, trackpad, keyboard, or touch-enabled screen to open, type, scroll, and interact with apps.

Tips for interacting using mouse and keyboard:

Single click will behave as any single touch tap interaction

Right click anywhere on your Android device screen to navigate to the previous page

Click and hold to open a context menu

Click and hold and drag for text selection

Mouse scroll to move screen vertically

Some games and apps might not respond to interactions from a mouse or keyboard connected to your PC. You’ll need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.

For your Surface Duo:

Gestures such as the ones used to navigate back or to the home screen on the device can be replicated with your mouse on your PC by clicking and dragging quickly from the edge of your Android device screen window. If you have trouble replicating them, we recommend turning on 3- button navigation:

You can enable 3-button navigation on your Surface Duo for easier interaction. In your device Settings, go to System > Gestures > System navigation and turn on 3-button navigation.

How do I switch keyboard language or layout?

When you type using your PC’s keyboard the layout and language is controlled by a setting on your Android device for physical keyboards. It won’t be affected by the language of the keyboard you’re using on your PC.

You can click on the keyboard language button when you are using the phone screen feature. This will launch the keyboard language settings where you can choose the language of your preference.

When you are using a physical keyboard with the Your Phone app, you can also manually change your language or layout settings at any time.

On your Android device:

Open your Settings > General Management > Language and input.

If you have a Surface Duo, go to Settings > System instead.

Under keyboards, tap Physical keyboard.

Select the keyboard that you’re using on your Android device (E.g. SwiftKey, Microsoft Virtual Keyboard, or Samsung Keyboard).

Choose a language or layout.

You’ll need to change this setting whenever you want to type using another layout or language.

Tip: When using Phone screen, if you have multiple languages or layouts added, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Space to switch languages.

Why has my device’s screen turned off while using phone screen?

We provide you with the option to have your Android phone screen turn black while connected in phone screen. In this state, your screen will appear to be off—this is to protect the privacy of your personal phone content and minimize battery consumption.

How to interact with the black screen

There are several ways you can dismiss the black screen if you need to interact directly with your Android phone:

Press the power button

Swipe your device screen

However, if you receive a call while the black screen is active, your screen will appear as normal.

How to disable the black screen

If you’d like to use phone screen without the black screen showing, follow the steps below.

In the Your Phone app, open Settings.

In the Phone screen section, find the option to “Hide my Android device’s screen while it’s connected to my PC.” Turn this toggle off. You can change this setting at anytime if you’d like the black screen to show again.

Note: This setting is not available for Surface Duo.

How to Show Any Phone Screen on a Windows Computer

Mirror or even control your phone’s screen on your PC

What to Know

• On Android, open the Your Phone app, set up Link your phone and PC. Open the Your Phone Windows 10 app to complete the connection.
• iOS devices require the use of third-party mirroring apps.

This article explains how to use the Your Phone app to connect an Android phone to a Windows 10 computer, as well as third-party software you can use for screencasting.

Your Phone for Windows 10

In 2018, Microsoft released an app called Your Phone that, when paired with the Your Phone Companion app for Android, supports Wi-Fi pairing to let Your Phone interact directly with the mobile operating system.

These instructions apply to Windows 10 PCs and Android devices with Android 7.0 (Nougat) or above.

After installing the Your Phone app, make sure your PC and Android device are nearby, turned on, and connected to Wi-Fi.

Open the Your Phone app on your phone.

Select Link your phone and PC.

Sign in to the Your Phone Companion app using the same Microsoft account you’re using on your PC if prompted. Select Continue.

Select Continue and choose Allow to enable permissions.

Return to the PC to finish linking your phone with the Windows 10 app.

In the Windows search box, type your phone and select the Your Phone app from the results.

Select Get Started.

Sign in to your Microsoft account if prompted.

You’ll need to sign in to the same Microsoft account on your phone and your PC to link the devices successfully.

Follow the guided setup process.

Wait while the app links to your phone.

Select the items from your phone that you want to see on your computer.

The Your Phone app can:

• Display Android notifications to the Windows Notification List.
• Send and receive text messages through the phone using the Windows app.
• Display device photos and manage drag-and-drop file access between the phone and Windows.
• Mirror the Android screen in real-time, and support remote control of the phone through the app.
• Send and receive calls through Windows, using the phone as a pass-through device, provided the phone supports a specific (and new) form of Bluetooth connectivity.

For select Samsung devices, the Link to Windows companion app is already installed. Access it by going to Settings > Advanced features > Link to Windows.

Screen mirroring with Your Phone requires the Link to Windows feature, which is available in a limited number of test markets for Android 9 and more widely in Android 10.

Screen Casting

Apple does not prioritize interoperability between iOS and iPadOS with Windows 10. To cast an iPhone or iPad screen to a Windows display, you’ll need special software that translates the AirPlay standard.

For Android, the picture is a bit fuzzier. The Miracast technology that supports screen sharing is built into some Android phones but not others. Google, for example, has been removing the feature from Nexus devices because it competes with Chromecast.

If your Android’s Settings app includes a Cast or a Wireless Display feature, then running the built-in Connect app on Windows 10 allows Windows to display the screen. If those Android options are absent, though, Windows cannot display the phone’s screen.

Third-Party Apps

A broad ecosystem of apps bridges the gap between Android, iOS, iPadOS devices, and Windows 10 computers. These apps vary in capability and price points. Because these programs do the heavy lifting of serving as an intermediary, they tend to work regardless of which specific release of an operating system you have. Options include:

Top 10 Free Calling Apps for Windows Phone for 2017

Today, Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP for short allows us to use our modern broadband connections to make phone calls instead of antiquated copper telephone lines. If you think about it, a huge chunk of your old phone bill used to go to maintenance and upkeep of physical infrastructures but with VoIP services, you are using your existing internet connection. So none of this hassle applies. As you can imagine, VoIP service is generally much cheaper than traditional phone service and in some cases, calls are absolutely free. But of the many apps available on the market for making free phone calls for Windows Phones, 10 apps in particular stand out. These are backed by some of the biggest companies in telecommunication. So you know you’ll be getting top notch service.

1. Skype

Many of you are familiar with Skype because of its video chat service. However, it offers VoIP calling as well.

Rating: 3.5 with 289K ratings

If the other party has Skype installed, all calls are free

You get a phone number assigned to you when you purchase Skype credits

The app is available for all major mobile and desktop operating systems. So you can talk to virtually anyone in the world.

With this app, you’ll need to purchase credits to call any landline or cell phone number

Some users report that the service is frequently down

2. Viber

Viber has been around for quite a while and recently it has added video calling and chat features.

Rating: 3.9 with 41K ratings

Calls to other Viber users are absolutely free.

It supports all major operating systems. So you’ll get the added benefit of being able to use Viber on all of your devices.

It is not a big load on your data limit.

Like Skype, you’ll have to purchase credits if you want to call a normal phone number

Some users have had to cope with small delays in audio traversal, but it is generally considered acceptable as it’s free

3. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is always trying to bring something unique in the market. This year, they have introduced the free calling feature using VoIP instead of your cellular service.

Rating: 3.8 with 30K ratings

Uses superior audio technology to provide the best audio quality possible

The most popular communication app with over 800 million users worldwide. So, you can be sure that most of your friends use it

Can be used on cross platforms

Free for one year only, after which time you have to extend your subscription for a small fee of $0.99/year.

4. Line

Line is a new third party app that serves more than 400 million customers worldwide. Since it is relatively new, the current version of the software is still buggy but it delivers its promises.

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Rating: 3.5 with 22K ratings

Allows free voice calls with other Line users

Supports cross platform. So, your friends and you could be using different devices and still enjoy free calls

Non-Line users have to pay fees but these are very low

Bugs need to be fixed

5. ooVoo

OoVoo has over 100 million users in over 130 countries and is one of the largest video chat and messaging apps in the world. It offers video calls, voice calls, and text messages for free on cross platforms.

Rating: 4.5 with 12K ratings

Incorporates echo noise cancellation for clear and superior audio quality during video and voice calls

Works on almost any operating system and most modern devices

Allows media sharing

Add friends from your personal contact list, Facebook and Twitter

6. BBM

Blackberry Messenger was initially developed for blackberry devices but it is now supported by many operating systems including Windows Phone 8.0 and later

Rating: 2.9 with 5,843 ratings

Instant chats, picture sharing and voice calls for free

Very slow communication for both text and voice calls

7. Nimbuzz

With over 200 million users worldwide, Nimbuzz is an app that combines the power of internet and that of a smart phone messenger. It has been around for quite a while and is well known for providing unlimited chat messages and file sharing on various platforms. Although it does not get the press that the others get for voice calls, it is still a great free app.

Rating: 3.6 with 2,557 ratings

Apart from free calls, it provides several other services

Supported by a multitude of platforms

Share photos and videos with your friends on Facebook, Gtalk and other social media platforms.

Voice calls suffer significant distortion when using the phone’s speaker

Cannot be used in background

8. ICQ

With ICQ, you get free calling to any number within the United States, but if the other party has the ICQ app installed, you can call anywhere in the world for free. Now, they even have IP based text messaging and a video chat feature and your existing phone number is used when you make outgoing calls.

Rating: 4.1 with 636 ratings

Very easy to use interface and user friendly voice chat

Works flawlessly on cross platforms

Audio quality is excellent

Does not offer adequate help and support as other apps

Lacks other additional as it focuses on simplicity

9. KakaoTalk

KakaoTalk is a very popular messaging option, especially outside of North America.

Rating: 3.2 with 339 ratings

It allows you take make group and individual calls to other users freely

Works on cross platforms

Many users report that it does not permanently work on their devices. The app needs to be reinstalled several times

10. Magicjack

If you’ve ever stood in line at Walgreens or watched late night infomercials, you’ve surely heard of Magicjack. They made their name by offering the USB stick that converted your landline to VoIP but now they have a Windows phone app. This one isn’t as feature-rich of some of the others but you can use it to make calls to any number in the US for free.

It’s easy to use and very simple to setup.

Audio quality is not as good as other apps discussed

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