Windows 10 can run multiple Android apps via Your Phone – but this feature will remain Samsung-only

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Windows 10 testers who have adopted the Your Phone app are now getting the ability to run multiple Android apps on their desktop, but this feature will only be available for Samsung smartphones in the foreseeable future.

Microsoft brought support for running Android apps to Your Phone back in September, and promised that the ability to run multiple mobile apps on the Windows 10 desktop would arrive before the end of 2020.

And indeed that ability is now here, or at least support for Windows Insiders (testers) is now rolling out, with general availability for everyone hopefully not too far away.

Testers must be running one of certain Samsung smartphones, though, and it doesn’t look like other handsets will be able to benefit from these nifty features any time soon.

Deeper level

When asked about support for other devices, Vishnu Nath, Partner Director of Program Management, Mobile and X-Device, at Microsoft, clarified that the Android app hook-up required a deeper level of hardware and software integration than other features in Your Phone.

So while this doesn’t rule out Microsoft eventually working with other phone manufacturers to give their handset owners these advantages, it’s obviously not a trivial thing to do this, and so therefore not likely to be happening any time soon.

A couple of months back, Microsoft said it was “exploring new ideas and ways to help our customers” in terms of bringing these features to phones other than Samsung models, so we can perhaps remain hopeful that this is something that will eventually be in the pipeline.

Via Windows Latest

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Latest in Windows
Microsoft Store logo on a blurred background
There's finally a fix for an annoying Microsoft Store bug that's older than Windows 11
Portrait of African-American teenage boy studying at home or in college dorm and using laptop, copy space
Windows 11’s Notepad gets AI-powered ‘Rewrite’ feature, but not everyone’s going to be happy about it
Copilot on a laptop
Microsoft quietly updates Copilot to cut down on unauthorized Windows activations
Windows fail
It looks like Microsoft might have broken Windows 11 24H2 again as performance plummets with Intel's latest CPUs
Windows 11 update with Task Manager menu
Microsoft is fixing Windows 11 Task Manager’s quirky reporting of CPU usage, and a much-wanted change for the lock screen is coming, too
Young woman using laptop, looking annoyed
Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11 might come from a good place, but it’s seriously annoying some people
Latest in News
MacBook Air mute key
The new M4 MacBook Air finally fixes an Apple keyboard annoyance that's been around for decades
A collage of Ellie and Joel in The Last of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2's new trailer teases a huge showdown between Bella Ramsey's Ellie and Pedro Pascal's Joel, but the big moment I'm waiting for is still being held back
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
New iPhone 17 Air leak may have revealed some key specs – and how it compares to the iPhone 17 Pro Max
Gaming with AI
I asked Gemini to play a text-based adventure game with me and the AI whisked me away to a word-based fantasy
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Three iPhone 17 model dummy units appear in a hands-on video leak
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
New Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge may have revealed some key details – including its price