Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft and Samsung’s Latest Partnership

Samsung announced a lot of new things last night. But more importantly, it announced an expansion of its existing partnership with Microsoft. Both the companies have been working together for a while, with Samsung shipping some of Microsoft’s apps pre-installed on its Galaxy products for ages. This week, both the firms are expanding their partnership with new integrations and experiences.

Here’s everything you need to know:

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  • Link to Windows: Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10 devices will come with a direct link to connect your Android phone to your Windows 10 device. It includes a quick button on the notification center that lets you quickly connect to Microsoft’s Your Phone experience on Windows 10.
  • Your Phone Screen: Microsoft will launch a new Phone screen feature for the Your Phone app on Windows 10 first for Galaxy Note 10 users later this month. The new feature will allow Galaxy Note 10 users to access their phone screen and interact with it using a keyboard, mouse, or touch screen.
  • Phone Calls: Your Phone will soon allow you to make and receive calls from your Android on your Windows 10 device. You will even be able to send calls to voicemail right from your PC, though it’s not clear if this feature is going to be exclusive to Samsung devices.
  • OneDrive: Samsung Gallery app will have built-in integration for OneDrive, allowing users to sync their photos with OneDrive easily. The feature will be available this fall, with the Note 10 being the first device to get the new integration, followed by other Galaxy devices.
  • Outlook and Office:
    • Microsoft is making an optimised version of Outlook for the Note 10, with built-in integration for Samsung’s next-gen S Pen that allows you to interact with emails simply by hovering over them like a magic wand. You can hover over a contact in an email to get more details about them with the S Pen, for example.
    • Outlook for Android is also getting an improved tablet experience that will make it work better with Samsung DeX.
    • A new Outlook app is coming to Galaxy wearables.
    • Note 10 will continue to come with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps pre-installed as before.
  • Galaxy Book S: Samsung’s new Galaxy Book S is a Windows 10 device powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx compute platform, and is the latest device to be part of Microsoft’s always-on, always-connected PCs effort.
  • Microsoft Store: For the first time ever, Microsoft will allow you to pre-order the Note 10 and sell the new Note 10 devices across all its stores, online and in-person. You will even be able to get some trade-in offers for the new phone.

The expanded partnership between Samsung and Microsoft is a big deal. “Today is an important step for both Microsoft and Samsung, and it’s just the beginning of our investment together. We can’t wait to share more with you over the coming months and years as we invest together to empower individuals and organizations to achieve more,” said Shilpa Ranganathan, Microsoft’s CVP for Mobile & Cross-Device Experiences.

Both the companies seem very interested in making the cross-device experience work better for Samsung and Windows 10 users, so this is perfect if you own a Samsung device and a Windows 10 PC. Microsoft’s already invested a lot in making the cross-device experience between Android and Windows 10 work much better over the last year or so, and this newly expanded partnership will let Microsoft get much closer to the Android user by integrating its features directly into the phone itself, instead of requiring to manually download the Your Phone app.

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Conversation 25 comments

  • proesterchen

    08 August, 2019 - 6:55 am

    <p>The long and short of it: More bloatware for you!</p>

    • jlv632

      08 August, 2019 - 7:59 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448038">In reply to proesterchen:</a></em></blockquote><p>honestly… Without Windows Maps, Film and TV etc… I tend to agree…. Bloatware</p>

    • StevenLayton

      08 August, 2019 - 8:39 am

      <blockquote><a href="#448038"><em>In reply to proesterchen:</em></a><em> One person's bloatware is another person really useful feature. </em></blockquote><p><br></p>

      • solomonrex

        08 August, 2019 - 11:32 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#448057">In reply to StevenLayton:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes, this. Candy Crush is indefensible, but Word, Excel and PPT on your phone is pretty much inescapable. </p><p><br></p><p>I did try the Your Phone app with my Galaxy already, but I found that it interfered with the sleep/hibernate feature, and I have a shared Windows account, so it wasn't a good fit. It was a good app, though, and it would be ideal if I worked at home.</p>

  • red.radar

    Premium Member
    08 August, 2019 - 8:29 am

    <p>As an apple / windows user I look on jealously and with frustration. </p><p><br></p><p>Having texts come to my PC would be so helpful with all the 2FA codes being sent</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • jchampeau

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 8:46 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>100% agree. Please Apple, for the love of all that is holy, let me see my texts on my Windows PC when I'm sitting at it. I'm not holding my breath on this one, though.</p>

      • sandy

        08 August, 2019 - 6:53 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#448058">In reply to jchampeau:</a></em></blockquote><p>No, Apple's answer to all such questions/issues is use only Apple stuff (buy a Mac, etc.)</p>

    • Andy Babiec

      08 August, 2019 - 9:24 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I love being able to do this with Android's standard texting app, Messages. The best part is that it doesn't require me to install an app, just open up their website: <a href="https://messages.google.com/&quot; target="_blank">https://messages.google.com/</a></p><p><br></p&gt;

    • jt5

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 9:32 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>I agree as well. I switched to TMobile and use their digits functionality to get calls and texts on my pc- but the phone app would be a much nicer experience. Also- in order for this to work I have to turn off IMessage- so I lose the benefits of IMessage. The screen mirroring feature would be nice as well. For now- I will live with the frustration….</p>

    • CrownSeven

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 10:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>The fact Apple is allowing folks like Vizio to include Airplay 2 in their TV's leads me to believe that Apple may be more willing to open up their walled garden to things like this. </p>

    • jwpear

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 12:23 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes, yes, yes! Right here with you. I fear this will never happen and I may just have to switch to Android.</p>

    • rmlounsbury

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 2:08 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448056">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Pretty sure Apple will never open up the walled garden enough to allow this level of integration. </p>

      • red.radar

        Premium Member
        08 August, 2019 - 10:26 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#448149">In reply to rmlounsbury:</a></em></blockquote><p>My hope is this windows/Samsung partnership gains traction with corporate customers; which forces Apple to respond. </p><p><br></p><p>the problem can be neatly solved with iMessage in the windows store. </p>

  • rmlounsbury

    Premium Member
    08 August, 2019 - 10:43 am

    <p>You could almost see this as the "third option" in mobile. There is enough uniqueness to Samsung's flavor of Android that adding on Microsoft integrations baked into the OS effectively gets Microsoft their seat at the mobile OS table without having to build the OS and the hardware. It seems like the most ideal method after the Windows Phone flame out to get into the game.</p><p><br></p><p>In the US you mostly end up having Google, Apple, and Samsung + Microsoft. </p><p><br></p><p>It'll be interesting to see how close Samsung and Microsoft end up becoming over the long term. It does leave an interesting door open for both to escape the Google-verse in Android if they so chose as well. In the meantime the products these two put out will be the closest to a non-Google experience on Android as you'll get. </p>

  • codymesh

    08 August, 2019 - 12:26 pm

    <p>To be honest, the Office features make a TON of sense for the Note devices.</p>

  • tboggs13

    08 August, 2019 - 12:48 pm

    <p>I am only sad that this is Samsung. I know they have the largest market share in most place that MS operates, but they also have one of the most unique/heavily modified versions of Android to start with. I really didn't like the experience when I tried one. I currently use a OnePlus and would love to see deeper integration with them. Or MS following the old Google Nexus approach where they partner with a different vendor every year.</p>

  • waethorn

    08 August, 2019 - 2:03 pm

    <p>So, is this Samsung conceding to not put their stores-within-a-store in Best Buy locations where there's a Microsoft store-within-a-store? Cuz both companies gave Best Buy $1B.</p>

  • mikes_infl

    08 August, 2019 - 2:15 pm

    <p>I wonder though, if this might lead to better integration with Samsung devices and Microsoft software but eventually leaving Windows out of the equation?</p>

  • Rob_Wade

    08 August, 2019 - 2:17 pm

    <p>You already can view/interact with the phone screen via Your Phone (why that is something anyone needs is beyond me, but it functions…slowly…but it functions). You can already have pictures upload to OneDrive (making them immediately available to you on other computers, so, again, why do we need Your Phone?). What AREN'T they doing? Making Cortana work 100% hands-free, especially in the car, which is something I rely on with my Windows phones.</p>

    • codyoz

      08 August, 2019 - 8:41 pm

      <blockquote><em>Making Cortana work hands free – text messages in and out – in the car is the only reason I still have a 950XL. <a href="#448152">In reply to Rob_Wade:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • jgraebner

      Premium Member
      12 August, 2019 - 2:26 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448152">In reply to Rob_Wade:</a></em></blockquote><p>I somehow don't see them spending a lot of time working on a feature with potential users that might be in triple digits at the most. </p>

  • Slepr

    Premium Member
    08 August, 2019 - 2:46 pm

    <p>Being a reluctant consumer forced to move from my Windows Mobile hardware, I chose Android because it seemed to be more open to Microsoft. I am a OnePlus user and have altered everything possible to utilize Microsoft. Having considered both Samsung and OnePlus devices, I made my choice based on hardware specs, price and the minimalist Oxygen OS that I much prefer. What is it about this collaboration between Microsoft and Samsung that makes worth $600-700 more than my current setup utilizing Cortana, MS Launcher, Onedrive backup, Your phone app integration with screen Sharing and phone notifications on PC, Office, etc? If Microsoft is sincere about the experience on all devices, the Microsoft/Android experience should not differ from one Android device to another. I suppose it is just a marketing tool to get Microsoft exposure and suggest some incentive to help Samsung move some high dollar hardware. I hope that the phone call on PC feature will come to all Android device users. </p><p><br></p>

    • rmlounsbury

      Premium Member
      08 August, 2019 - 4:39 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#448155">In reply to Slepr:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'd wouldn't agree with this. Each OEM has their own spin on Android and their own integrations. Microsoft has partnered with Samsung to take their spin on Android and fuse it with Microsoft bits out of the box. A decent amount of what was shown can be done on any Android device. </p><p><br></p><p>But to accomplish what MS has done with Samsung would require similar partnerships with all the unique Android OEM's and that is asking a lot of Microsoft and the multitude of Android OEM's in the market. You can be sure that hey will never have this option on Pixel devices since Google has no reason to partner with Microsoft given their own Google based productivity options. </p><p><br></p><p>I think what we are seeing is that Samsung is becoming the key partner for Microsoft's mobile intentions and things will show up with Samsung based devices first. But I would expect most functionality to roll out to other Android devices over time. </p>

  • JoePaulson

    09 August, 2019 - 6:55 am

    <p>Wake me when they have multi-user biometric integration with AAD.</p>

  • Stooks

    09 August, 2019 - 9:44 am

    <p>As long as the phone is running a Google OS and slurping up a metric ton of my data, I will never go there. </p><p><br></p><p>If Samsung actually wen't to their Tizen OS or whatever it is called and Microsoft fully supported it, then I would consider it. The Microsoft mobile apps I use work just fine on iOS.</p>

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