When it comes to mobile computing Microsoft's philosophy is if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Microsoft is no longer trying to create exclusive experiences on its mobile platform. Instead, the company is taking up the philosophy that its software should run on everything regardless of the operating system – including iOS and Android devices.

So, iPhone users cannot send and receive messages from Windows 10 PC at this point in time. Before knowing how to receive and send messages from your Windows 10 PC, you should know a couple of things. Windows 10 Mobile is now officially dead, and Microsoft has switched its attention to Android and iPhone, releasing a growing number of apps for those operating systems. You can now also link. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update gives Cortana some fancy new abilities. Among them is the option to send and receive SMS text messages from an Android or Windows phone.

The easiest way to bring Windows 10 to your smartphone is with the Windows 10 Phone Companion App. Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group, first blogged about the 'Phone Companion' app for Windows 10. Now that it's out, the app is a guide to integrating certain Windows 10 features, like the digital assistant Cortana and OneDrive, with an iOS or Android phone.

OneDrive to Rule Them All

The first thing to note is that much of this improved integration works if you have – and actually use – OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage product. OneDrive is really nice, by the way. An easy way to get more paid storage is to subscribe to Office 365, which gives you access to the entire Office Suite, as well as a healthy bit of storage in OneDrive.

Anyway, if you have OneDrive on your PC or Mac but not your phone, you'll need to download the app. Once that's set up, there are several cool things you can do:

  • The photos you take on your phone can be uploaded to OneDrive and then appear in the Photos app that comes with Windows 10. It allows you to see, on your computer, the pics you took on your phone. It's also a great way to do a backup without any work on your end.
  • You can store music on OneDrive and stream music on your smartphone. Note the sequence here for the easiest experience: You store the music on OneDrive; create your playlists on your Windows 10 PC or tablet; then use the Groove app (on your phone) to stream the music, in the same way you now use Spotify, Pandora or other music service. In this case, though, it's free and streams your personal music collection.

On top of that, Microsoft uses OneDrive behind the scenes for several features on its other apps.

  • Any notes you make on your Windows 10 device with Microsoft's note-taking app, OneNote, will appear on your phone. If you change that note on your phone, the changes will be replicated on your Windows 10 device.
  • Any work you do on an Office document on your phone can be automatically synced across all your devices via OneDrive.

The other big integration is with Cortana, Microsoft's personal digital assistant. It is similar to Apple's Siri or Google Now if you're familiar with either of those services. Cortana is available as an app in both the iPhone and Android app stores. Phone Companion on your PC will help you find and install the app for your device.

Cortana Integration

Cortana can help you set up reminders, add appointments to your schedule, look up information on the Web, and so on. One of our favorite features is the SMS feature that lets you receive and reply to text messages on your PC. Cortana for Android can also send you app notifications from your phone to your PC. These notifications are enabled on an app-by-app basis meaning you can prevent yourself from being overwhelmed by having a flood of unnecessary notifications on your PC.

Cortana on Android and iOS offers some great features, but there are some differences with the Windows 10 Mobile version. For example, the 'Hey Cortana' voice command doesn't work on iOS. Although Cortana for Android recently regained this feature after Microsoft previously rolled it back due to system conflicts. Using 'Hey Cortana' on Android can make it easier to use the service when you're on the go.

Windows 10 is a great operating system, and integrating your mobile device with the Microsoft ecosystem – including your Windows 10 PC – really improves your computing experience.

You've just set up an appointment in Windows 10 via the Cortana voice assistant. The only problem is that you may not be in front of your Windows 10 computer when the alert goes off telling you the appointment is due.

Sync Iphone Messages To Windows 10

No problem. You can set up the same notification so it also appears on your smartphone at the appropriate hour.

The key here is Cortana. By installing Cortana on your smartphone, you can share reminders and other notifications between your phone and your Windows 10 device. And this process works on the iPhone, Android phones, and Windows Phone handsets. Here's how.

First, you need to install the mobile Cortana app on your iOS device or your Android device if you haven't already done so. Apple iPhone and iPad users can download Cortana from Apple's App Store. Android users can download Cortana from the Google Play store. If you own a Microsoft Windows Phone handset, Cortana is built into the device, so there's no need to download it separately.

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On your iPhone, you'll need to enable Notifications for the Cortana app, which you'll be asked to do when you install the app. If you didn't do so during the installation, follow these steps.

On your iOS device, tap on Settings > Notifications. Scroll down the list until you see Cortana. Tap on the entry for Cortana and then turn on the button to Allow Notifications. Open the Cortana app on your iPhone and sign in with your Microsoft account.

Windows

On your Android device, tap on Settings > Notifications. Tap on the entry for Cortana and turn on the button to 'Display notifications.'

Open Cortana and sign in with your Microsoft account. Grant Cortana access to your location and various media. Tap on the account icon in the upper-right corner and tap on the entry for Settings. At the Settings screen, tap on the option to 'Sync notifications.' Turn on the buttons for all three settings—Missed call notifications, Low battery notifications, and App notifications sync.

Tap on 'Allow' to the question 'Allow notification access for Cortana?' Return to the previous screen and tap on the command to 'Choose which apps to sync.' You can leave all of the apps turned off, and the notifications will still work. But you may want to also turn on synchronization for certain apps, such as Calendar, Contacts, Email, and Photos.

Next, on your Windows 10 device, click in the Cortana search field at the bottom of the screen where it says 'Ask me anything.' Click on the Settings icon (the one that looks like a gear). Scroll down the pane until you see the section called 'Send notifications between devices.' Make sure that setting is turned on. Then click on the button that says 'Edit sync settings.' Make sure the options to 'Get notifications from this PC on my phone' and 'Upload notifications from this PC to the cloud' are both turned on.

Now type or speak your reminder to Cortana on your Windows 10 device. For example, you can say to Cortana: 'Set up an appointment with Mary for 3 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss next week's presentation.' When your notification comes due, you'll see and hear it on your phone as well as on your Windows 10 device. As long as you have one or the other or both, you'll be sure to get the virtual tap on the shoulder for your appointment.

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