Microsoft is developing a new feature for Windows 11 called ‘Cross Device Resume,’ designed to allow users to seamlessly switch between apps on their Windows 11 PC and Android smartphones.
This functionality mirrors Apple’s ‘Handoff’ feature, which enables users to continue tasks across their iOS and Mac devices, offering a similar level of convenience.
The feature was demonstrated at the Build 2025 conference in a pre-recorded session, which was later edited to remove the demonstration, though screenshots taken by a leaker remain.
The ‘Cross Device Resume’ feature, as shown in the demonstration, allows a user to, for example, start listening to a song on Spotify on their Android phone, and then seamlessly continue playback on their Windows 11 PC.
On the PC, the Spotify app in the taskbar displays a phone icon, and hovering over it provides a ‘Resume’ option, allowing the user to continue from the exact point they left off on their Android device.
Microsoft is working to enable this functionality for developers, allowing them to integrate ‘Cross Device Resume’ into their apps.
It’s understood that Spotify will be among the first to utilize this feature, potentially along with apps like WhatsApp.
The development of this feature aims to close the gap with Apple’s long-standing ‘Handoff’ capability, offering Windows users a more integrated experience across devices.
Existing background processes in Windows 11, used for resuming OneDrive files across devices, suggest Microsoft is expanding this approach to cover a wider range of applications.