Microsoft is bringing a new feature to Windows 11, which allow users to wirelessly browse their Android phone’s filesystem directly within the File Explorer. It’s now available in preview through the Windows Insider Program, so users can expect the feature to arrive in the coming weeks. Keep in mind this is Android-only, so iOS users are out of luck.
More Windows-Android Integration
Setting up this feature will take a few steps: first, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile Devices in the Windows Settings, and select “manage devices.” After setup, your phone’s name will appear in the File Explorer sidebar (below This PC), and from this point on it’ll largely function in similar ways to how you browse native file folders in Windows. Of course, storage information is shown, too – so you’d know a cleanup is needed when too many photos are filling up your storage.
This new feature should allow more seamless file transfers. You can open the files directly on your PC even if the original file is located in the phone, and you can copy the file in both directions. File renaming and deletion also works – sort of. There’s a bunch of bugs, so here’s what you should expect if you’re signing up for this feature before official release.
According to Microsoft, deleting files will relocate them to a new “Recycle Bin” folder within your phone, which remains for 5 days. This is a bug, as the company noted that the file should be kept for 30 days before automatic deletion. Sometimes, files in the Recycle Bin may not appear, though the company expects a future update to fix this. Intermittent syncing issues may cause actions perform on the PC to not be reflected on the smartphone, though this can be worked around by logging in your PC’s Windows account again.
In its current form, you’ll need a phone with Android 11 and up, have the Link to Windows app running the Beta version 1.24071 and higher, as well as being registered for the Windows Insider Program (while opting into any of the four channels) for this feature to work.
Source: Windows Central
Pokdepinion: I like this – hopefully the anomalies get solved, though.
