Samsung Galaxy Connect Now Works With Even More Windows PCs
iPhones and Macs work together seamlessly in all kinds of ways, whether you want to control your Apple phone from your Mac or use it as a webcam. Apple calls this suite of features Continuity, and it also extends to iPads and Apple Watches. So if you stay within the Apple ecosystem, you’re guaranteed to get devices that work well together.
Features like those offered by Apple Continuity aren’t as easy for Google, Samsung, and Microsoft to implement, but everyone outside of Apple is busy trying to improve the cross-device experience. Pixels and Chromebooks now offer several useful integrations, as do Samsung Galaxy phones and Galaxy Book laptops.
These Samsung features, managed by the Galaxy Connect app, have just been extended to non-Samsung Windows 11 computers, so more people can now take advantage of them. As long as you have a PC running Windows 11 and equipped with an Intel or AMD chip, this is now available to you (ARM-based PCs are not yet supported).
The extension was quietly announced in the release notes for version 2.1.6.0 of the Galaxy Connect app available on the Microsoft Store. Once the app is installed, here’s what you can do with it.
Getting started with Galaxy Connect
After downloading and running Galaxy Connect, you will see a prompt to sign in with a Samsung account. You’ll need one to use Galaxy Connect, and you probably already have one that you use with your Galaxy phone. Once done, you will arrive at the first page of Galaxy Connect, which has four main sections.
The first is Continue on other devices. This mainly means copy and paste, so if you copy something on your PC, you can then switch to your Galaxy phone and then paste it here (or vice versa). Like all Galaxy Connect features, both devices must have Bluetooth enabled and be on the same wifi network.
The Galaxy Connect app.
Credit: Lifehacker
Enabling this feature via the toggle switch also means that the Wi-Fi network information is synced. If you’ve already connected to a Wi-Fi network with your Windows 11 laptop, for example, when your Samsung phone finds it, it will already know the password: just tap to connect.
Camera continuity is another included feature: Samsung says it lets you “take photos or scan documents on your phone or tablet, then continue working on them in apps like Samsung Notes on your computer.” However, it’s unclear how this works, and I haven’t been able to figure it out – something Samsung could work on, perhaps.
Enabling communication between devices.
Credit: Lifehacker
The next item in the Galaxy Connect menu is easier to understand and is called Storage Sharing. Go to this section, turn on the toggle switch and you will get extra Storage Sharing entry in File Explorer in Windows 11. (If your phone does not appear, check that Connected devices > Storage sharing is enabled in your Galaxy phone settings).
This gives you easy access to everything on your phone and means you can transfer files between the two devices without worrying about syncing apps or cables. This is exactly how easy it should be to exchange files between computers and phones. It actually took us a few years, but we finally got there.
How “multi-control” and “second screen” work in Galaxy Connect
The other two sections of Galaxy Connect are a bit more complex and require additional downloads. These are not just on/off toggle switches and require additional configuration. As soon as you select them, you will be taken to the corresponding download from the Microsoft Store.
What do you think of it so far?
The first is Multi-controlwhich basically lets you use your phone from your laptop or desktop: you can arrange your phone and PC, just like you would a secondary display, and then you can send your Windows 11 cursor to and from the Galaxy phone simply by moving it off the screen in the appropriate direction.
When the cursor leaves your computer screen and arrives on your phone screen, you can use your mouse and keyboard to control the Galaxy handset. This makes typing and selecting much easier, and if you need to bring text, links, or images back to your PC, you can simply drag them over the edge of the screen to the desktop interface.
The Multi-Controls window.
Credit: Lifehacker
The latest feature of Galaxy Connect is Second screenAnd as you might guess from the name, it lets you use a Galaxy device as a secondary display for your computer, although it only works with tablets, not smartphones, so I haven’t tested it directly. Here again, you have the possibility of positioning your two screens in relation to each other.
You get all the benefits usually associated with a second screen, like more space to move apps and windows away from your main desktop until you need them. It’s also handy for having something in the background, like a video or social media feed, without it taking up space on your main screen.
The second screen requires an additional download.
Credit: Lifehacker
Microsoft phone link
If you’re familiar with Windows and Phone synchronicity, you may be wondering where Microsoft’s Phone Link app fits in here. You can use it as well as or instead of Galaxy Connect (if you can’t get the Samsung app to work for some reason). This replicates some of the features you’ll find in Galaxy Connect, including quick file swapping and clipboard syncing.
There are also additional features in Phone Link, such as the ability to mirror your phone screen to the Windows desktop and manage notifications, texts and calls from your computer. (saving you from constantly switching between devices). Search for Phone Link in the taskbar or Start menu to find it, then follow the instructions to connect your handset.
