Windows 11 Gets a Productivity Boost from Apple’s Playbook
While Microsoft had plenty of official announcements lined up for Windows 11 at Build 2025, one interesting feature made a surprise appearance during a session — and it looks a lot like Apple’s Handoff .
For those unfamiliar, Handoff is an Apple feature introduced back in 2014 with iOS 8. It lets users start a task on an iPhone or iPad — like drafting an email or browsing a webpage — and then switch to a Mac to continue that activity seamlessly. Now, Microsoft seems to be bringing a similar experience to Windows 11.
Though the idea isn’t new for Microsoft — the company previously experimented with Project Rome back in 2017 — it never really took off. Now, more than seven years later, the concept is making a comeback in a much smoother form.
In a demo that briefly appeared (and was later removed), a Microsoft product manager showed how the updated feature could work. When a compatible app is opened on a smartphone — likely Android — Windows detects it and displays an icon in the taskbar. With a single click, users can pick up the activity right where they left off, creating a more fluid cross-device workflow.
This unannounced sneak peek suggests Microsoft is once again investing in connected experiences across devices — this time, with a cleaner, user-friendly approach.
As Aakash Varshney, Senior Product Manager for Cross-Device Experiences at Microsoft, explained:
“It’s a visual prompt that, when clicked, opens the app directly into the task you were doing — creating a seamless transition from phone to PC. For example, Spotify launches on your computer and resumes playing the exact same song, with no need to search or start over. It’s a smooth, one-click experience that keeps the music — and the momentum — going.”
However, bringing this feature to life will depend heavily on developer support. Encouraging developers to adopt new platform features has historically been a challenge for Microsoft, especially during the Windows Phone era. Whether this time will be different remains to be seen.
So far, the feature hasn’t been officially announced, but its appearance — even briefly — hints that Microsoft may be working toward a more integrated, cross-device future.