FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 91although you could argue again that the bare-bones
approach is necessary to maintain flow.
The Settings option to download images sent via
MMS texts automatically needs some clarity. For one,
when I specifically toggled it on, a test photo sent to
me via text didn’t save to my PC – though my phone
isn’t configured to automatically save photos sent to my
phone. (The photo appeared inline as a text message,
though, as it should have.) It would also be helpful
to know exactly where MMS images are saved, and if
they’re automatically backed up to OneDrive. This is
why people use Snapchat, after all.
Unfortunately, Messages still shows any message
threads that you’ve archived on your phone, including
automated texts of one-time passwords that a web
service may send you for two-factor authentication.
(Keep in mind that it’s more secure to use an
authenticator app for 2FA instead.)Notifications
Likewise, Notifications represent nothing more than
the Android notifications that apps already send to
the home screen of your phone. There’s not much to
do here, although you do have the option of filtering
those notifications so that only a subset gets passed
along to your PC.
Like notifications of new email, those slide in from
the bottom right and reside in your Action Centre.
That’s reason enough to consider the filtering options,
as right now you can see one notification slide in for a
new email on your phone, and another from the Mail
or Outlook app on your PC.FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 91although you could argue again that the bare-bones
approach is necessary to maintain flow.
The Settings option to download images sent via
MMS texts automatically needs some clarity. For one,
when I specifically toggled it on, a test photo sent to
me via text didn’t save to my PC – though my phone
isn’t configured to automatically save photos sent to my
phone. (The photo appeared inline as a text message,
though, as it should have.) It would also be helpful
to know exactly where MMS images are saved, and if
they’re automatically backed up to OneDrive. This is
why people use Snapchat, after all.
Unfortunately, Messages still shows any message
threads that you’ve archived on your phone, including
automated texts of one-time passwords that a web
service may send you for two-factor authentication.
(Keep in mind that it’s more secure to use an
authenticator app for 2FA instead.)
Notifications
Likewise, Notifications represent nothing more than
theAndroidnotificationsthatappsalreadysendto
thehomescreenofyourphone.There’snotmuchto
dohere, although you do have the option of filtering
those notifications so that only a subset gets passed
along to your PC.
Like notifications of new email, those slide in from
the bottom right and reside in your Action Centre.
That’s reason enough to consider the filtering options,
as right now you can see one notification slide in for a
newemailonyourphone,andanother from the Mail
orOutlook app on your PC.