Microsoft adds new Your Phone features, but just for Samsung devices

Microsoft’s Your Phone app was originally designed for both iOS and Android, then narrowed to an Android-only feature. Now Microsoft seems to be focusing the app further, limiting Your Phone’s advanced functionality to just Samsung devices.

As part of a new Windows 10 Insider build for the Fast Ring, Build 19608, Microsoft is improving the Windows 10 Your Phone app by adding drag-and-drop capabilities for files. But if you don’t own a supported Samsung phone, you’re out of luck—it won’t work. Microsoft is adding copy and paste features to more Samsung devices, too, which is similar—it simply requires you to use the actual “copy” and “paste” commands instead. In the Build 19582 update in March, Microsoft also added support to turn off your phone’s screen remotely—but again, just for some Samsung phones.

Users who don’t own a Samsung phone receive a few improvements, too. But they’re far more minor: a general UI overhaul to the Your Phone app will sync the app’s background with your phone’s wallpaper, and the typography of the headers was made more prominent. The Messages portion will also receive an interface with more rounded message bubbles, something everyone’s undoubtedly waited for with bated breath.

Microsoft

Otherwise, there’s little in the new build to get excited about. The company changed the way in which the Windows 10 Settings menu handles the default app experiences, and that’s about it. Microsoft also fixed some general bugs, including a crash that would occur if Sticky Notes were moved about the screen.

Remember, the current state of Windows 10 “Fast” builds is that Microsoft is simply testing code. They’re not tied to any any specific upcoming release to the general public.

Microsoft

Let’s hope, however, that Microsoft doesn’t continue to pursue Your Phone hand-in-hand with Samsung, excluding other phone manufacturers. One of the dichotomies we noted in our recent Windows 10 20H1 / 2004 review is that Your Phone feels nearly complete in its basic functionality, but the quality and cohesion of the experience still depends too much on the hardware. It looks like that will still hold true for the near future.