Back in April, we reported on Microsoft’s plan to add the ability to control music streaming on its Your Phone service. Now that ability is going live and rolling out to all users. However, there are some caveats and limitations to this first stage of the feature.
If you’re unfamiliar with Your Phone, it is an interesting tool for Windows 10, iOS, and Android. It allows users to control their mobile device on their Windows PC. It is worth noting functionality is more limited on iOS, with most features available on Android.
And that’s the case with music controls, which are only available on Android. Major streaming services like YouTube Music and Spotify can be controlled on Your Phone. Furthermore, users can also control their local music downloads.
When you’re managing music on your PC from Android you will see basic controls such as pause/play, skip tracks, and shuffle. In terms of information, Your Phone displays song titles, albums, and artists.
Caveats
As mentioned, there are some limitations for the music playback tool in its early stages. As expected, it’s tied to Microsoft’s new Windows 10 May 2020 Update. That means you’ll need to be running that release or newer for the tool to work.
As the May 2020 Update is also rolling out in stages, not many people will be on it yet. Furthermore, you’ll also need to be running Android 7.0 of later. Admittedly, that’s less restrictive considering that version of Android (Nougat) was launched back in 2016.
At the moment, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music are supported. Users cannot control YouTube videos with this feature.
If you are on Windows 10 May 2020 Update, the Your Phone update is rolling out now.
