We have covered AirDroid several times in the past here on BGR, and there’s a reason it keeps popping up: it’s one of the best and most useful Android solutions in the world. Long before Continuity was even a glimmer in an Apple engineer’s eyes, AirDroid by Sand Studio brought Android device users all of the functionality Continuity offers and much, much more.
And now, Sand Studio has revealed to BGR that a complete overhaul of its Android device management solution will be released in the coming weeks.
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AirDroid is an Android app and web app combo that allows users to control their Android smartphones or tablets from any Windows PC or Mac computer. A simple app is installed on the Android device and then a connection is made over the Internet from any popular web browser, allowing users to send and receive messages, browse files, see notifications, capture photos, install apps and much more.
The solution is already quite robust, but Sand Studio will soon release a major update that improves AirDroid in a number of key areas.
With AirDroid 3, Sand will introduce a major user interface overhaul that modernizes the look of the app on PCs. What’s more, the company is finally giving users one of the features they have been clamoring for: native apps for Windows and for OS X. So now, instead of confining users to a browser tab, AirDroid will run as a dedicated app.
The initial AirDroid 3 desktop client will include the following features, with many more coming in future updates:
- Files: Transfer between a computer and an Android device.
- SMS: Receive and reply to SMS.
- Notification mirroring: Android app notifications are pushed to the desktop in real time.
- Calls: Get incoming call alerts and reject calls with a message.
- Contacts: Manage contacts.
- Air Mirror
The last feature listed above, Air Mirror, mirrors an Android device’s screen on a connected computer and allows users to control apps on the device with a mouse. With this solution, users can control any app on their smartphones or tablets without any special work needed from third-party developers.
Finally, AirDroid 3 will also introduce secure E2EE encryption to ensure that data is protected.
Sand Studio told BGR that it plans to release AirDroid 3 in late November or early December. In the meantime, for those who haven’t yet tried the app, you can download AirDroid 2.1 by clicking the following link:
A few images of AirDroid 3 follow below to give you a taste of what’s in store.
