Microsoft abandoned Windows Phones a long time again, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less interested in offering mobile experiences. The company has been trying to hijack your phone’s screen for a few years now, and it hasn’t given up on this mission. Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, Microsoft is taking things up a notch, looking to make sure that you can easily move between Windows PCs and your mobile phone, regardless of platform. That’s should certainly appeal to mobile users who still choose Windows for their regular computing needs.
Taking over Android is a lot easier than the iPhone for Microsoft, since Android lets companies offer users launcher apps of their own. This type of functionality isn’t available on iOS. Microsoft Launcher is getting Timeline support in the future, which is one of the major features of Microsoft’s new Windows 10 update. With Timeline, you’ll be able to go back in time and check all the apps and websites that you’ve been using across devices, whether they’re computers, tablets, or smartphones.
According to TechCrunch, the Microsoft Launcher will let you use the same apps on both Android and Windows to complete a certain task. If you don’t have the right app installed on your mobile phone, the Launcher will find it for you in the Play Store.
Timeline is also coming to iPhone and iPad, albeit in a more limited manner. Since Apple doesn’t allow developers to take over the home screen experience, there’s no Launcher for iPhone. But Microsoft will let users manage their Timelines via the mobile Edge browser. The feature will be more limited than on Android, but it’s still a step forward.
Even more interesting is the Your Phone feature, which will soon be available to Windows Insider Program users. You’ll be able to answer text messages, respond to notifications and share pictures from your phone and move them to Windows 10 computers. It’ll surely work with Android, but it’s unclear how it’s supposed to work with iPhone.
