With your PC, you can view your Galaxy phone's contents on a larger screen to make multitasking easier. Answer messages, receive calls, and view notifications or alerts on your PC when you connect your phone using Link to Windows. You can also mirror your phone's screen, transfer files between the two devices, use apps, and combine your calendars. Connect Windows 10 with Android Via Microsoft 'Your Phone' App. To connect Windows 10 with Android Via Microsoft 'Your Phone' App. You need some beginners stuff like Windows 10 latest update and compatible Android phone with nice hardware. After that, follow my steps to get access to the Android pieces of stuff on Windows 10 PC.
Windows 10 comes with Connect app installed by default. And if you own an Android phone running Android 4.2 and above, you may know that the Android device comes with a built-in Wireless display feature (Miracast). So, if you want to cast Android screen to Windows 10 PC without using any third-party software, you can use Connect and Wireless display features to mirror Android screen to PC.
Requirements
To be able to cast Android screen to Windows 10, your devices need to meet specific requirements. You don't need the latest of the lot, but if you own anything below Android 4.2 and earliest version of Windows 10, it is time to upgrade it.
- For PC – Windows 10 build 1607 and above running on Intel 3rd Gen CPU.
If you are unsure which version of Windows 10 you are running, then open the Cortana/ Search bar and type Connect.
From the options, if you see the Connect app, that means your Windows 10 version meets the requirement.
If you want to find out the Windows 10 version you are running for future reference, here is how to do find it.
- In Cortana/Search bar type, About.
- From the options select About your PC option.
- In the About page, you can find the Version below Edition section.
- For Android – Android device running on Android 4.2 and above. The latest the better.
My Specification
For this demonstration, I am using an Android phone running on Android 7.0 Naugat and Windows 10 Home 1607 32-bit version OS for PC.
Mirror Android Screen to Windows 10
Now that you met all the requirements, it is time to configure the
Connect app and connect the Android device to PC using Wireless-display feature on your phone.
Launch Connect app by typing Connect in the search bar.
Connect screen will show your Laptop name and 'is ready for you to connect wirelessly' message.
On the Android device go to Settings > Network > More. Or Settings > Display > Cast. The setting for Wireless display may differ based on the OEM of your phone.
Make sure WiFi tethering (WiFi Hotspot) on your smartphone is Off.
Tap on Wireless Display option.
Fat32 flash drive. Tap OK when asked to turn on Wi-Fi.
Your device will search and display your Laptop as Wireless display ready to connect.
Tap on your Laptop/PC name. In a few seconds, your Android phone will start mirroring the screen on your PC, and a connected message will appear on your phone.
Whatever you do on your Android phone will now be visible on your PC as well. However, not all apps work with screen mirroring. For example, Netflix. I will talk about it later in this post.
If you want to disconnect mirroring, tap on the Wireless display name and select Disconnect.
What can you do by Casting Android Screen to Windows 10 PC?
Well, you can do anything you do on your Android phone but on the large screen of your PC which is typically 15.6″ or bigger or maybe a little less than that.
Show Presentation – If you are at the office and want to show a presentation from your Android phone to PC connected to a projector, you can do it by mirroring your phone.
Watch Movies and Play Games – If you have downloaded a movie on your phone but want to watch it on a large screen, Android screen mirroring can help you do that. The audio from the videos will come through either speaker connected to your PC or headphone.
You can also play games on a large screen. I played Limbo and Shadow Fight 3 on my Android phone while mirroring it to PC, and the experience was good. There was little to no lag. However, if you play games like Asphalt, you may see a good amount of delay depending on your Phone and PC hardware.
Do All Apps Work with Windows 10 Screen Casting?
Connect Android To Windows 10
Since you are mirroring Android screen to PC, everything on your phone screen should appear on the PC screen, right? Technically yes, but some apps don't work that way. For example, if you want to watch downloaded Netflix shows by mirroring it to the PC, the Netflix app does not cast any video but only audio and subtitles.
As you can see in the image above which is captured during the Netflix Android app screen mirroring session.
In the Windows 10 Action Center, you will find the answer to this issue. The action bar shows a notification from Connect that says 'Protected content can't be viewed on this app'. Which means it is not a glitch but rather an anti-piracy feature which doesn't make any sense because if you have a Netflix account, you can watch it even on PC. Netflix does have Windows app and web version but I would rather see the app support screen mirroring like all the other apps.
Windows 10 Connect
The Connect app on Windows 10 is the best way to cast Android screen to PC. You don't need to deal with third-party apps on your phone and PC, nor it has any limitations as such. Yes, when the phone is connected to PC, you can't use your PC unless you disconnect the Wireless display, but that is not a deal breaker.
