Microsoft Your Phone vs Samsung Flow: Which Is Better for Connecting Phone to Windows
I envy iPhone users for one reason only: the ability to easily connect their Mac and their iPhone. Android phones lacked an ecosystem as easy to use. However, things are changing with the advent of applications such as Microsoft Your Phone and Samsung Flow. You will learn to know the difference between the two in this post.
The main idea of both applications is the same: to provide seamless integration between Android and a Windows PC by allowing you to transfer files, share notifications and respond to messages. However, there is a huge difference between their features.
Let's see how the Microsoft application Your phone differs from Samsung Flow, which is an upgraded version of Samsung SideSync.
Compatibility
Your Microsoft Phone app can connect to all Android phones running Android Nougat 7.0 or higher. The phone can be of any brand, including Samsung. It is even compatible with the iPhone, but its features are limited. On the Windows side, you must be running Windows 10 April 2018 Update or later. The application is preinstalled on the Windows Update October 10, 2018.
On the other hand, the Samsung Flow app is limited to Samsung phones and tablets. The minimum software requirements are the updated Android Marshmallow 6.0 and Windows 10 Creators.
Point: To check the version of Windows, click the Start button> Settings> System> About. Scroll down the list and check the information under the Windows edition and version.
User interface
The mobile application Your phone is just a way to connect a Windows PC and an Android phone. You will not find any important features with the exception of the settings. When you connect both, you will see that the application simply displays text indicating that the phone and the PC are linked. However, Samsung Flow offers a history on the main screen. You can also see an attachment button to send files and messages.
On the computer, there is still a difference between their interfaces. In the case of the application Your phone, you will find three options on the left: Photos, Messages and Notifications. By clicking on the item, the phone data will be displayed. For example, if you click Photos, you will see the latest images available on your phone.
The Samsung Flow app, similar to the mobile version, begins by displaying the history of items sent or received. You will find a second tab that contains the history of your notifications for the current session. At the top you will find the buttons for the clipboard, smart view and settings.
Synchronize phone notifications to PC
Both apps allow you to view notifications from your phone on the PC in real time. You can even customize notifications by turning it off for some apps. While for the application Your phone, you have the power to disable notifications for certain applications on the PC, the option is available on the Samsung Flow mobile application.
Both applications also provide a notification history for the current session. In other words, when you disconnect the phone from them, notifications on the PC will also be erased. Although both are very effective for sending notifications, I thought Samsung Flow was better for recording notifications, as shown by the screenshots below taken on the same phone at the same time.
When it's about rejecting notifications via PC, both apps let you do it. However, unlike Pushbullet, which is another notification and file sharing application that allows you to reject live notifications, you must first open those applications on the PC and then the notifications. In the Your phone app, click the cross icon next to the notification.
For Samsung Flow, click the Delete button and select the notification to reject.
Note: Both applications allow you to clear the notification history without logging out.
In addition, you can even respond to notifications from your PC for supported applications. The feature is available for both live notifications and in the notifications history.
View messages on PC
If you use a lot of text messages, the Your phone app is right for you. This is because it offers a dedicated section to create new texts on PC, view past messages and reply to SMS. It even supports MMS and works for third-party messaging applications. However, you can not delete messages with this application.
Note: You can only see messages received in the last 30 days.
On the contrary, although you can also access messages from the Samsung Flow app, it's a bit complicated. You must use Flow's Smart View feature, which reflects your phone on your PC. It has many disadvantages. First, it's slow, and secondly, it's a lengthy process. Last but not least, when you use Smart View, your phone stays on. If you do not like the messaging features offered by these two apps, you can check Pulse and Textra.
Sharing files and notes from Android to a PC
The Flow app is clearly winning in terms of file sharing. This is because it allows you not only to transfer photos to a PC, but also to send all types of files such as videos, audio, contacts, documents, etc. In addition, the feature works in both directions. In other words, you can also share files from one PC to another. As you may have noticed, it saves the transferred files.
You can even send messages between your PC and Android with the help of Flow. This can be useful for sharing links or sending notes.
The application Your phone only allows you to share photos from your Android phone to a PC. This is limited to the photos in the Camera Roll and Screenshots folders. Other images can not be shared. In addition, only the 25 recent images are displayed. Another disadvantage is that the functionality is limited to transfers from Android to PC only, and not the reverse. You can look for other ways to transfer files between Android and a PC, and vice versa.
Link sharing
Although both applications offer this feature, they work in different ways. In the application Your phone, you have to click on the Share button of your browser and select Continue on PC. When you do, the same page will open directly in the Edge browser.
In the case of the Flow app, you can send a link with the help of the message function or select Samsung Flow in the sharing menu of the Android phone. The use of the latter will send a notification to your PC. Click on the notification to open the link in your default browser.
Synchronize the clipboard with the PC
Very few free apps allow you to synchronize the clipboard between the Windows PC and the Android phone. Fortunately, the Samsung Flow app is one of them. To enable it, click on the clipboard icon in the PC Flow application. This feature is missing in the application Your phone.
Unlock the PC with the phone
Samsung Flow comes with a nice feature that allows you to unlock your PC using the security of your phone. This feature is not available in the Your phone application.
Mirror phone
Samsung Flow allows you to mirror your phone on a PC using the Smart View feature. You can then control it via the mouse or the touch of your PC. It even lets you add apps to the bookmarks bar for quick access to your PC. You can change the resolution, enable Do Not Disturb mode, and capture a screen capture.
The app Your phone also offers mirror functionality. However, it is limited to high-end Samsung phones, such as the Note and S series.
Battery indicator
This feature may look tiny, but it is very useful. The app Your phone for Windows displays a tiny battery indicator. This helps to know the battery level without touching the phone. Although the Samsung Flow does not have a dedicated battery indicator, you can check it by turning on the Smart View feature.
Connect your phone to a PC
Although the two are a bit similar, they are unique in their own way. If email is your main criterion, the application Your phone is a good choice, but if sharing files and clipboard are your goals, go for Samsung Flow. You can even try their alternatives, such as PushBullet, AirDroid and Join.
Then: Looking for file transfer applications? Check out our detailed comparison between Mi Drop, Xender and SHAREit from the following link.