Microsoft is betting on Android and now lets you access your smartphone files on Windows 11
Since the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft has shown that Android is one of its bets, in all versions, even in Insider. The union between these two systems has been shown and now there is another novelty. Microsoft has now allowed users to access files from their Android smartphone on Windows 11.
Microsoft is betting on Android again
Microsoft has already released new Windows 11 Insider builds this week for the Beta, Canary, and Release Preview channels. However, the software giant's team is not done revealing new features yet. It has announced a new release for all members of the Windows Insider program who also own an Android smartphone and use Windows 11.
In a post on its official blog , the company says that this update will allow you to access files from your Android smartphones remotely on your Windows 11 PC. This new experience will allow you to browse all folders and files, including those on your Android phone. You will be able to open them, copy them to your PC, copy files from your PC to your phone, rename, move, and delete them.
Smartphone files on Windows 11
There are a few requirements for this new feature beyond having a Windows 11 PC and being a member of the Windows Insider program. One is that your mobile device must have Android 11 or higher installed. The other is that you need to have the beta version of the Link to Windows app installed on your Android phone, with version 1.24071 or higher.
To enable this experience, users need to go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices and choose “Manage devices.” Here, they need to allow their PC to access their Android phone. They’ll find a button to show their phone in File Explorer. If this option isn’t available, the experience hasn’t been rolled out to the user yet.
Integration is not perfect in Insider
While this is still in testing, and this is normal for the Insider program, there are some known issues with this feature. When you delete files from your phone from your PC, they are moved to a new folder in your phone's Recycle Bin. Currently, they remain in the Recycle Bin for 5 days, even though the dialog says 30 days.
Occasionally, files deleted from your smartphone's new Recycle Bin folder may not appear in File Explorer on your PC. Sometimes, operations performed on your phone's files on your PC may not be synchronized with your phone.