Transferring files from computers to android devices can be quite a hassle. But a new Windows 10 feature brings the otherwise taxing process to users fingertips. The latest Windows 10 insider build allows users to drag and drop files from any Samsung smartphones to their PC facilitating (much like Airdrop in Apple devices) effortless transfers over Wi-Fi. Although within considerable limitations, the feature will offer convenience to a large fragment of users.
To drag files from the phone to the PC, users will have to open the Your Phone app. The app has to be downloaded and will provide links to phones running Android 7.0 or later. On the app, the Phone Screen must be opened following which, selected files can be transferred to the desired location on the PC. Photos can also similarly be dragged from albums on the Phone screen in the app.
In order to transfer files the other way around, files have to be selected and dragged from the PC to the My Phone app window. With a click on the notification that appears following the transfer, the dragged files can be viewed.
The process may be convenient however due to quantitative limitations; it does not support certain items. The file size is limited to 512 MB which means larger files such as movies cannot be transferred. The amount of files that can be transferred at once is limited to 100.
While a cable connection between the devices is not required, the drag and drop feature requires both devices to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. The service requires a Samsung device running Link to Windows version 1.5 or higher. The feature is supported by smartphones like Galaxy S10 or S20 but not all Galaxy devices.
Despite the limitations, the feature makes file transfer hassle-free for many. Currently available only on Windows 10 insider build, the drag and drop feature is expected to be made available to everyone in the next general release. The development seems to be part of Microsoft’s effort to make working between android devices and PCs easier, since the company has by and large missed the mobile bus altogether.
Last month, the tech giant introduced copy-pasting from Windows 10 to Samsung phones while it already let users receive notifications and even answer calls from Android devices. Similar features were offered on Microsoft’s ActiveSync for Windows mobile; however these new features will have a wider reach among mainstream users.
