114 PCWorld DECEMBER 2019HERE’S HOW WINDOWS’ YOUR PHONE APP
probably pair both devices for you, but
when I switched test phones I had to
perform these steps manually. Make sure
both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network
for easier communication. And when it’s
finally up and running, you’ll probably need
to approve separate Your Phone Companion
permissions for texting, then calls, then
notifications, and so on; It’s a hassle, but the
permissions are there to make sure apps
don’t abuse your privacy.
Don’t be turned off by the apparent
complexity. We’ve detailed a lot of the steps
that Windows should take care of behind the
scenes, and some of this is just stepping
through the normal privacy approvals.HOW TO USE YOUR PHONE
Once setup is completed,
it’s time to actually use
Your Phone. Here’s a
quick guide to the ins and
outs of each of the apps.
One potential gotcha
has to do with your
smartphone’s onscreen
keyboard. Your Phone is
designed to let you
access your phone from
your PC, using your
physical keyboard to
connect to it and respond
to messages. I was
shocked to discover thatwhen I picked up my phone (by habit) to
respond to a text, the onscreen keyboard
had disappeared. If that happens, try
searching for the “keyboard” in the Android
Settings menu on your phone, and then be
sure that there’s an option to enable the
onscreen keyboard even if your PC is doing
the typing. That will allow you the freedom
to use your phone as you’d like, even when
it’s connected to the PC.
Remember to check the Your Phone app’s
Settings gear at the bottom left-hand corner,
where there are options, for example, to
allow SMS texts but not MMS pictures.Photos
Your Phone’s Photos tab is similar to the Photos
app within Windows: if you take a photo withThe Your Phone Photos tab displays 25 recent photos and screenshots.