If you work online the "Your Phone" App is probably old hat. But it is new to me as I've been operating in a vacant house with WiFi and utilities, a borrowed TV and inflatable mattress, since we moved in late May. I plan to spend a day learning it once we settle down. You can find it as the last entry when you click the start button in Windows 10. Click "Start" and scroll to the bottom of the list.

Excerpt:

"Windows 10’s Your Phone app links your phone and PC. It works best for Android users, letting you text from your PC, sync your notifications, and wirelessly transfer photos back and forth. Screen mirroring is on its way, too.

Android Users Get the Best Integration

The Your Phone app is a powerful and often overlooked part of Windows 10. If you’re an Android user, you can use it to text right from your PC, see all your phone’s notifications, and quickly transfer photos. If you have the right phone and PC, you can even use the Your Phone app to mirror your phone’s screen and see it on your PC.

Unfortunately, iPhone users won’t get any of that. Apple’s restrictions prevent that level of integration. iPhone users can set up the Your Phone app to send web pages back and forth between their phones and PCs—but that’s it. Don’t even ask about Windows phones, which Microsoft gave up on long ago.

Texting from your PC, transferring photos, and syncing notifications all work right now on current stable builds of Windows 10. The screen mirror feature is only available for some Windows Insiders right now, but they should arrive for everyone soon.

How to Set Up Windows 10’s Your Phone App

The linking process is simple."

For complete instructions and screenshots to set it up go to the full article here:  https://www.howtogeek.com/413566/why-android-users-need-windows-10s-your-phone-app/

Edited October 11 by RV_

Thanks for the info; I was unaware of that app.  OTOH I routinely read and send messages using Chrome using Google Android Messages without the need for a separate app.  Your approach is another option.  Now I can compare the two.

Edited October 11 by docj

Great let us know the comparison.

RV_

Good info.  

I prefer a full keyboard for typing more than a few chars.  And have been underwhelmed, by the apps I've tried, for transferring photos to my Window's big storage drives.

After I migrate from my old Moto G4+ to the Pixel 3a I just purchased, I'll give the Your Phone app a good try.

Thank you!

You're welcome Dan.

  On 10/14/2019 at 1:11 AM, RV_ said:

Great let us know the comparison.

It worked the first couple of times I used it but now it says it can't connect to my phone.   It doesn't seem to matter if the phone is on wifi or LTE.  My phone is running Android 10.

I did notice that the app suggests that it will work better if the phone and laptop are on the same wifi. That, by itself, would be a nuisance since don't always have the phone on wifi around the house.   So, I've gone back to using Google Messages on PC which works more reliably.  Sad to report, another typical Microsoft product!

Joel, thanks. I leave my phone in the car while shopping and let it go to voicemail most of the time. I do not want to do email on my phone, nor messaging on my computer. Just preference. So now we know it has an irritant your app does not. Kewl!