Windows 10 will soon show you notifications from your Android phone
The Notification Center in Windows 10 is a great idea but, many would argue, one that is both limited and poorly implemented. For anyone with a Windows 10 Mobile phone it is marginally more useful thanks to notification sharing, and this feature is due to expand to Android users as well.
At Build, Microsoft revealed that the Notification Center is in line for a major overhaul that will not only bring Cortana-power notification mirroring to Android users, but will also bring a richer, more image-heavy notification experience. The news isn’t so great for iPhone users as the more tightly controlled nature of iOS means Microsoft has a harder task on its hands.
It doesn’t end there. Also on the cards is a 'universal dismiss' option that will make it possible to kill a notification on one device and have it wiped from others at the same time. But it is almost certainly notification mirroring that will generate the most interest. It means that you will be able to see notifications from your Windows 10 computer on your Android phone, or phone notifications on your computer.
In addition to being able to see from your computer that a message has come through on your phone, you'll also be able to dismiss notifications, and even reply to messages without having to switch devices. For anyone who spends their days sitting at a computer and switching between PC and phone for different tasks, this could be a real productivity boost.
Developers will need to enable support for notification mirroring in their apps, and users will be free to enable and disable the feature for individual apps -- handy to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed with messages.
Microsoft has not said when we'll be able to try out the feature for ourselves, but it's likely that it will make an appearance in the Insider builds that precede the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
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