Windows 11 is getting a macOS-like Handoff feature between phone and PC

The Windows 11 handoff feature.

Microsoft is moving connected a caller “Cross Device Resume” diagnostic for Windows 11 that works likewise to Apple’s Handoff diagnostic successful macOS. The diagnostic was spotted successful a Microsoft Build 2025 session, earlier Windows Central noticed Microsoft editing retired the demo that showed a mobile Spotify league resuming connected a PC.

“When you unfastened the app connected your mobile instrumentality oregon tablet, Windows tin amusement a subtle badge close connected your app’s taskbar icon,” explains Aakash Varshney, a elder merchandise manager for transverse devices and experiences astatine Microsoft, successful a “Create Seamless Cross-Device Experiences with Windows for your app” Build session for developers. “It’s a ocular nudge that erstwhile clicked launches your app straight into the task, delivering a creaseless intuitive handoff from PC to phone.”

Varshney’s now-deleted demo shows a Spotify app icon with a badge connected it successful the taskbar, and a connection erstwhile you hover implicit the badge that says “resume, precocious opened connected your mobile device.” It’s designed to fto you resume the Spotify app connected PC close from wherever you near disconnected connected mobile. “Spotify launches and I’m instantly backmost successful the aforesaid song, present playing connected my PC,” says Varshney. “No request to hunt oregon commencement over, it’s a creaseless one-click modulation that keeps the euphony and idiosyncratic acquisition uninterrupted.”

Microsoft archetypal started investigating an app handoff diagnostic successful Windows 10, backmost successful 2016. Codenamed Project Rome, the cross-device acquisition for apps was designed for developers to constitute apps that tin “run connected aggregate devices and question with the idiosyncratic arsenic they power betwixt devices.” We’ve not seen overmuch adoption of Project Rome successful world though, truthful hopefully this caller Cross Device Resume is much wide adopted.