Windows 11 is getting a macOS-like Handoff feature between phone and PC
Microsoft is working on a new 'Cross Device Resume' feature for Windows 11 that works similarly to Apple's Handoff feature in macOS. The feature was spotted in a Microsoft Build 2025 session, before Windows Central noticed Microsoft editing out the demo that showed a mobile Spotify session resuming on a PC.
'When you open the app on your mobile device or tablet, Windows can show a subtle badge right on your app's taskbar icon,' explains Aakash Varshney, a senior product manager for cross devices and experiences at Microsoft, in a 'Create Seamless Cross-Device Experiences with Windows for your app' Build session for developers. 'It's a visual nudge that when clicked launches your app directly into the task, delivering a smooth intuitive handoff from PC to phone.'
Varshney's now-deleted demo shows a Spotify app icon with a badge on it in the taskbar, and a message when you hover over the badge that says 'resume, recently opened on your mobile device.' It's designed to let you resume the Spotify app on PC right from where you left off on mobile. 'Spotify launches and I'm instantly back in the same song, now playing on my PC,' says Varshney. 'No need to search or start over, it's a smooth one-click transition that keeps the music and user experience uninterrupted.'
Microsoft first started testing an app handoff feature in Windows 10, back in 2016. Codenamed Project Rome, the cross-device experience for apps was designed for developers to write apps that can 'run on multiple devices and travel with the user as they switch between devices.' We've not seen much adoption of Project Rome in reality though, so hopefully this new Cross Device Resume is more widely adopted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Wire
2 hours ago
- Geek Wire
Xbox Ally vs. Nintendo Switch 2: Microsoft enters a handheld console war that lacks actual competition
(Xbox Image) This isn't quite what we expected to see last year, but the ROG Xbox Ally still marks a new chapter in the rapidly developing 'handheld war.' Microsoft's announcement of the Ally during its annual Xbox Showcase broadcast on Sunday only came a few days after Nintendo's release of its latest console, the Switch 2. While it's probably not intentional on Microsoft's part, that does set up a natural clash in the marketplace between the Xbox Ally and the Switch 2. Both are portable gaming systems, and both are major players in the international console market. At almost any other time in console history, this actually would've been a deliberate shot across Nintendo's bow. Microsoft is one of the few players who could actually hope to diminish Nintendo's hammerlock on the portable gaming scene. That's not what this is, however. Microsoft has shown a notable unwillingness to actually compete with Nintendo in recent years, instead preferring to publish former exclusives like Grounded and Hi-Fi Rush on the Switch. Further, the Xbox Ally from the jump is aimed at an established audience of PC gaming enthusiasts. One of its marquee features, in fact, is the ability to consolidate your games library into a single menu via the Xbox app. If you're at all into playing games on your computer, it's easy to end up with a big library spread out across a half-dozen storefronts: Steam, Epic, GOG, Itch, Microsoft Store, Game Pass, etc. As presented, the Ally can keep your entire collection in one easy-to-browse place, although individual games' compatibility with the Ally is not guaranteed. The Xbox Ally is also intended to ship with Copilot for Gaming integrated into the experience, so each Ally will come complete with an AI-powered 'companion.' If you grab the more expensive Ally X, it contains a high-end Ryzen chip that's apparently meant to future-proof the device to some extent against any further AI projects Microsoft might bring to the unit. Those two features are meant to appeal to a couple of specific audiences: people who already primarily play games on their PCs, and serious gadget hounds. The Xbox Ally is a huge new spoke in Microsoft's established 'Play Anywhere' initiative, but much of what it does is there to streamline the experience for people who are already heavily invested in the Xbox gaming platform. At Nintendo's Switch 2 launch event in San Francisco, executive VP Devon Pritchard hands a fan the first Switch 2 unit sold. (Nintendo Image) The Switch 2, by comparison, arguably has a different version of a similar issue. Nintendo famously does not follow the same sales plan with its consoles as Sony or Microsoft, preferring to put out cheaper devices with lower-end tech that can be produced for a per-unit profit. As a result, Nintendo's hardware tends to be dramatically less powerful than its competitors'. The original Switch was already having profound growing pains, as even some games by Nintendo itself (i.e. Pokemon Scarlet & Violet) did not run well on the Switch, especially in its portable mode. The difference is that Nintendo has, well, Nintendo. For 40 years, the biggest reason to buy a Nintendo console is to play Nintendo's exclusive in-house productions like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Super Smash Bros. While some of Nintendo's franchises have appeared on mobile devices recently, the actual marquee titles — Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8, etc. — have never been officially ported to anything besides official Nintendo systems. Unlike Sony, which has begun bringing first-party PlayStation games to PC via Steam in recent years, Nintendo wants you to have to buy its consoles to play its games. I could give you a laundry list of complaints about the Switch as a whole, not least of which is the peculiar and uncharacteristic fragility of its hardware, but Nintendo has always been its own biggest advantage. That does mean that the primary reason to buy a Switch 2 is the promise of whatever new first-party Nintendo games will eventually be released for the system. Like the Xbox Ally, it's already aimed at a specific, established audience: fans of the company's established franchises. The real X-factor in this discussion, however, is the Xbox Ally's price tag. The Switch 2 currently retails for an MSRP of $499.99, and while its launch lineup is fairly weak, it's backwards compatible with most if not all of the existing Switch library. The ROG Xbox Ally will ship with two separate SKUs: the cheaper, less powerful base model, and the higher-end Ally X. Microsoft has yet to reveal their respective prices at launch, but since the Xbox Ally is a customized model of the existing ROG Ally, it's hard to imagine either version will cost less than $650. In theory, the Xbox Ally can make up some of that difference through a cheaper software library. Digital storefronts have flash sales and free weekends all the time, and there's always Game Pass. Meanwhile, Nintendo has become infamous for almost never lowering the prices on its games, digitally or otherwise; the Switch 2 is significantly more expensive than its predecessor; and any die-hard Switch fan will tell you that you'll want to pick up a Pro Controller ($89) eventually. All in all, this is an unusually pricey console launch for Nintendo. At the end of the day, the Switch 2 and Xbox Ally are laser-focused on two separate, specific audiences. They have points of overlap, but only in the vaguest possible sense, and at least one of the two companies is less interested in active competition than ever before. If you're looking to break into portable gaming in 2025, it's going to come down to your particular fields of interest, as well as whatever Microsoft decides to charge for the Xbox Ally.
CNET
2 hours ago
- CNET
I Played With the Xbox ROG Ally, the Upcoming Xbox Handheld
Microsoft revealed its long-rumored Xbox handheld console running Windows 11 during the Xbox Games Showcase -- two models called the Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox ROG Ally X -- and I spent a short time playing around with one soon after. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take any pictures or videos of the demo, since the hardware we got to test wasn't final. That became evident when our designated guide had HDMI connection issues with the unit. I was able to play around with the Xbox full- screen experience, the various settings menus and played the beginning minutes of Gears of War Reloaded, which comes out this summer. Watch this: Everything Announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in 16 Minutes 16:18 The device is quite comfortable to hold, with slightly textured grips. The face buttons, triggers, and analog sticks all felt familiar, very similar to what I'm used to on an Xbox controller. What's really exciting is that you can download your games, remote play from your Xbox, or stream from the cloud, making this more useful than PlayStation's Portal, which can only stream and play remotely. That's one of the major benefits of being inside Xbox's ecosystem: You can play a game on any of its devices, regardless of where you bought it, whether that be Xbox consoles, PC, cloud or this new handheld. This more open-platform approach makes the Xbox Ally closer in spirit to a Steam Deck compared to a Nintendo Switch, which can only run Nintendo games. When it ships -- expected in time for the winter holidays -- you'll be able to navigate via a full-screen Xbox app, which combines your Xbox game library with installed games from several other marketplaces into a single Xbox experience. The company specifically mentioned Xbox, Game Pass, (owned by Microsoft), and "other leading PC storefronts," which I'm hoping includes Steam. Much like on an Xbox, each game has icons depicting which platform they're from. In my demo, the only example of a different storefront was Hearthstone, which had a icon. Microsoft/Screenshot by CNET The Xbox Ally consoles use the Game Bar, and if you've used the Xbox app on PC then you'll find it familiar. In fact, pressing the new Xbox button opens an almost identical version of the guide when playing Xbox games on PC. However, there's also a new Command Center tab on the far left to adjust settings for power consumption and performance, similar to what we've seen on Steam Deck. In Game Bar you can quickly jump to the home screen, your library, launch games, open apps, chat with friends, adjust settings and more. And this Game Bar works alongside Asus's Armoury Crate overlay. This is a little worrisome, as Armoury Crate has usually felt more like unnecessary bloatware, but when we get to test the device later this year we'll see if Asus has stripped it down to the relevant functions rather than just added more on top. Since it's a Windows 11 device, you'll also be able to launch and use apps like Discord and Twitch and access game mods. The Xbox Ally boots directly into the "Xbox full screen experience" similar to how a Steam Deck launches into Big Picture mode. The full-screen experience is optimized specifically for handheld gaming, and Xbox told me the device minimizes background activity and allocates more system resources to gameplay like Game Mode does on Windows. This means more memory and potentially higher framerates for your games. Xbox The ROG Ally and Ally X have been out for a bit now, but the Xbox models have some unique features. In addition to the Xbox button, the Xbox ROG Ally also has larger, contoured grips. The previous ROG Ally is more rectangular; the Xbox Ally is closer to the design of the PlayStation Portal, with dedicated, slightly separated hand grips that mimic the look and feel of a standard game controller. They also have upgraded components over the Asus versions. The handheld comes in two options, a white Xbox Ally and the more powerful Xbox Ally X which comes in black. The lower-end Ally is powered by a AMD Ryzen Z2A processor, comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, weighs 23.6 oz/670g, and has a 60Wh battery. The Ally X has a AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, weighs a bit more at 25.2 oz/715g, and has a 80Wh battery. Both models are equipped with a 7-inch,120Hz 1080p screen, the same as on the original Asus versions of the devices. They also have RGB lights surrounding the analog sticks, something I hope I'll be able to turn off when I spend some real time playing on the device. The Ally X did feel on the heavier side, but then again the recently released Switch 2 and my Steam Deck OLED are also pretty heavy so I think that's just what handhelds weigh these days. Xbox hasn't yet revealed the pricing or release date, aside from "this holiday."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Down 21%, Should You Buy the Dip on Apple Stock? The Answer Might Surprise You.
It's the combination of products and services that has made Apple one of the best businesses on Earth. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding the tariff situation adds to investor concerns. At the current valuation, Apple stock provides zero margin of safety. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares are down 18% in 2025 (as of June 6). This makes Apple the worst-performing "Magnificent Seven" constituent this year, besides Tesla. Investors are probably concerned about tariff uncertainty and the company's slow progress with artificial intelligence (AI). The stock is currently 21% below its peak. So, it has some work to do to get back to its former glory. Legendary investor Warren Buffett and his conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, have sold a sizable chunk of their shares in the past several quarters. However, should you go against the Oracle of Omaha's moves and buy the dip on Apple stock? I think the answer might surprise you. I mention Buffett because many individual investors like to follow his buy and sell decisions. Clearly, when Berkshire first bought Apple in early 2016, they must've thought the tech giant was a high-quality enterprise. It's not hard to see why. Apple's brand is arguably the most recognizable in the world. This position wasn't created overnight. It took years and years of introducing truly exceptional products and services, that were well designed and incredibly easy to use, on a global scale. Apple is an icon, to say the least. That brand has helped drive Apple's pricing power. And this supports the company's unrivaled financial position. Apple remains an unbelievably profitable business. It brought in $24.8 billion in net income in the latest fiscal quarter (Q2 2025 ended March 29). Apple's products and services are impressive on their own. However, it's the combination of both of these aspects that creates the powerful ecosystem. Consumers are essentially locked in, which creates high barriers for them to switch to competing products. This favorable setup places Apple in an enviable position from a competitive perspective. Despite Apple's market cap of nearly $3.1 trillion, which might make some investors believe it's immune to external challenges, this business is dealing with some notable issues recently. There are three that immediately come to mind. The first problem is that Apple's growth engine seems to be decaying. Net sales were up less than 7% between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2024. And they're up just over 4% through the first six months of fiscal 2025. According to management, there are likely over 2.4 billion active Apple devices across the globe. That number continues to rise with every passing quarter, but you get an idea of how ubiquitous these products are. Plus, the maturity of the iPhone, now almost two decades into its lifecycle, might lead to limited opportunities to further penetrate markets. Critics can also call out Apple's slow entrance into the AI race. For example, we won't see an AI update to Siri until next year, a launch that was delayed. At the same time, it seems like other companies are moving rapidly to win the AI race. Lastly, Apple has been and could continue to be drastically impacted by the tariff situation. China, which has gotten the most attention from President Donald Trump during the ongoing trade tensions, has been a manufacturing powerhouse for Apple. The business is being forced to shift its supply chain around to minimize the impact. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the situation makes it challenging to forecast near-term results. Even though this stock trades 21% off its peak, investors aren't really getting a bargain deal here. The price-to-earnings ratio is 32 right now. That's not cheap for a company whose earnings per share are only expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 8.8% between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2027. In my view, there's zero margin of safety. If you're an investor who wants to generate market-beating returns over the next five years, I don't think you should buy Apple today. Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Down 21%, Should You Buy the Dip on Apple Stock? The Answer Might Surprise You. was originally published by The Motley Fool
