Android may finally catch up to Apple with seamless cross-device handoff feature: Here’s how it works
For years Apple users have enjoyed deep integration between different devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that allowed them to seamlessly work across multiple devices. A similar integration in Android has lacked so far, but a new report by Android Authority reveals that might not be the case in the future as Google works on its own version of Apple’s Handoff feature.
But before we talk about what Google is reportedly developing, let’s first get to know a little about what the Handoff feature is and how it works on Apple devices.
What is Apple’s Handoff feature?
Apple has a continuity feature called ‘Handoff’ that allows users to start a task on one Apple device and then seamlessly continue it on another device. So, for instance, you can start reading an article on your iPhone and then switch over to your iPad or to the Mac. This also works vice versa, meaning you can handoff features from your Mac to your iPhone.
The feature is designed to work for devices in close proximity with the same iCloud account logged in.
What is Google working on?
The Android Authority report found clues about Google’s new Handoff-like feature within the Android 16 operating system. Reportedly, the feature would be present in the “Cross-device services” settings that also includes other interconnectivity features like call casting and internet sharing.
With Handoff, users are said to also get options like notification syncing, file sharing, and app continuity across devices.
Reportedly, the Handoff feature is designed to let users transfer an app’s current state from one Android device to another. The feature works similar to how it does on iOS. When users switch from their phone to a tablet or PC, they will get a suggestion on the taskbar, and clicking on it will launch the app in the same state on the second device.
Unlike Apple‘s implementation, however, the report did not find any code suggesting that tasks can be handed off from a PC/tablet back to the phone.
While Microsoft has also been developing a similar sort of a feature with its Phone Link app, the lack of Google’s involvement has meant that the company has had to rely on individual phone manufacturers to implement the permissions needed to resume PC tasks on Android.
Notably, Google had recently announced that it is working on Snapdragon-powered Android PCs. The company has also announced its plans to merge ChromeOS and Android into a single PC OS which could allow it to easily implement the new Handoff feature across both the PC and phone.
As for when the new feature could release, the Android Authority report states that it is likely to appear with the Android 17 update, which is likely to launch next year.
