How to Efficiently Use Your Smartphone and Computer Together

Posted by Ninad Naik on 27 February, 2021

We all use smartphone and computer to complete our day-to-day tasks. Android is the most popular operating system in smartphone market. On the other hand, Windows has the largest userbase in personal computers. So as these are the popular OS then why can we not use them together seamlessly?

So, I am going to discuss some of the ways you can share data from your phone to your PC and vice versa. Not only that, you can also use these devices as one ecosystem like what Apple has their own.

  1. Transfer Files
    There is no perfect working files sharing feature between Android and Windows. Some rumours suggest that Chrome browser in Windows 10 will feature nearby share. This feature is available on Android for some time now and it will be useful to have it on PC. Here are some steps and software/apps which will ease the process of sharing files.

    1. Bluetooth
      This might sound pretty old but it can be helpful if you don't want to download extra apps on your PC and mobile. As the speeds are slow it is useless for larger files. You can quickly share some photos and audio files.

    2. AirDroid
      AirDroid is one of the most popular apps to share files. Apart from this it can send and receive SMS from your phone and show you your device's notification on your PC. It's free and you have to pay to the subscription to use all its services.
      Free|Subscription: $1.99 per month.

    3. Resilio Sync
      Resilio Sync works like a cloud storage but data is stored locally on your PC. You can sync/transfer as much data as you want. This app is free for limited use. You can pay one time to unlock all its features and services.
      Free|One-time purchase $75

    4. Google Drive
      Drive is a cloud-based storage service. You can upload files and backup your mobile data. You can create link and send large files to others. The free version only provides 15 GB of storage. You need to pay to the subscription to get more storage.
      Free|Subscription at $1.99 for 100 GB per month

    5. Smash
      As Google Drive gives you 15 GB of storage, Smash gives you unlimited storage. You can send unlimited files of unlimited sizes to any system and anyone without even signup. Smash keeps your files for only 14 days which is not bad.
      Free

    Not to forget our old school USB cables. They can transfer files at the highest speeds :)


  2. Sync browser tabs and open link seamlessly
    Many times, we need to open links from phone to our computers. You may have used WhatsApp Web to send link cross platform. Instead use backup and sync on Chrome. Here's how to do that:
    • First login to your same Google account on Chrome on both the devices.
    • Then go to settings --> Sync and Google services --> Turn Sync your Chrome data on.
    • When you click share button on Chrome there's an option named Send to your devices. Click it and select your device. The link will instantly pop up on your other device. Chrome also backups your saved passwords and logins for websites. It has wide variety of Extensions.

    If you are privacy-focussed then try Mozilla Firefox or Brave browser. These browsers provide similar features. The main advantage is that they block tracking of websites so you can browse without concerning about your privacy.