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You’re not alone if you’ve searched for Snapchat, Instagram, or a texting app on your computer.  We all want seamless experiences and being able to share information between our computers and phones helps make this happen.  Unfortunately, in the past this has been relatively hard to come by.  Some apps have been exclusively mobile, but that may be about to change thanks to Microsoft.

Mirror Mirror On The Screen:

The tech giant has just announced a new feature for Windows 10 that will let Android users view any app from their phone on a Windows desktop.  If you’re wanting to watch a video from a friend pulling it up on your computer will be a breeze.  And if you’re engaged in a rapid-fire text session then a full keyboard is at your disposal.  For some apps this won’t mean much, but for others it could completely change the experience.

The feature is being referred to by Microsoft as “app mirroring” (aptly named) and can be opened on your computer as an app called Your Phone.   The Windows YouTube channel features a video showing a user drag images from their phone gallery into a PowerPoint presentation.  After doing this they copy a sentence from a text message and paste in elsewhere on the screen.  The idea is to give as much interoperability between the two systems as possible.

Developer Impacts:

While I didn’t lie when I just said everything will be a breeze, I may have overemphasized Your Phone in its current state.  It will be a breeze, it’s just not ready for everything yet.  Microsoft says the feature will be available with the new Windows 10 October update starting with Android stock texting and photos apps.  It’s not clear what the future holds for when exactly all apps will be integrable.  Regardless, if you’re a developer you should be paying attention because this could be big for you.

Phone-to-computer transfers are another experience that a user can go through, and as such there are sure to be new advantages and features that come about with it.  People may just be thinking about taking what’s on an app right now and viewing in on a bigger screen, but here’s an opportunity to get really creative.  I won’t go into details as to what these opportunities could be simply because I haven’t thought of any (yet).  But it’s silly to not acknowledge that interoperability can open the door for new experiences and thus new markets to capture.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft mirroring?  Are there any apps in particular you’ve been wanting to use on your computer?  Let us know in the comments below!