It was all fun and games when Samsung flagship smartphones started selling through Microsoft stores, with some making fun of the latter for eventually giving in after putting up a short-lived fight with its Windows Mobile. Little did we know the two were onto something great.

In recent times, Samsung and Microsoft have been working closely to bring the latter’s powerful Windows PC programs to Android in a bid to help bridge the gap between smartphones and Windows PCs.

Microsoft-Samsung

At the launch of the Galaxy Note 10, this partnership was further emphasized by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s presence on stage to talk about “a new chapter of our long term commitment to improve productivity and eliminate the gap between mobile devices and the PC.”

One of the latest products of this continued partnership is a pre-installed Microsoft’s Your Phone app on the Galaxy Note 10. Using this app, Note 10 users’ text messages, notifications, or even the whole screen can be mirrored to a Windows 10 PC, which is impressive, to say the least.

Microsoft-Your-Phone-app

The functionality with Your Phone app, which will include making and receiving calls from a Windows PC beginning later this year, is also expected to find its way out of the Galaxy Note 10 confines via software updates.

Also, you’ll soon be able to sync Samsung’s Gallery Android app directly with Microsoft OneDrive to store your photos in the company’s cloud storage service. But before then, those who have a Galaxy Note device that, obviously, supports S Pen functionality have a cool update coming in.

MS-Outlook

You’ll need to be a user of Microsoft Outlook app to enjoy the newest addition to the growing list of products coming out of the blossoming Samsung-Microsoft collaboration. The app is receiving a new update to v4.0.18, but it seems it’s rolling out gradually since none of us here has received it.

The update, as seen below, adds S Pen support, allowing users to hover the stylus over emails, attachments, events or people to take sneak previews or execute certain actions.

Microsoft-Outlook-S-Pen-update

As of this writing, quite a good number have already received the update and seem to be pretty much enjoying it.

This is so dope. MS + Samsung is the future of productivity.

A feature I didn’t even know I wanted

I’m spoiled with the Blackberry Hub app, but this S Pen feature is quite attractive.

For an idea of what it looks like when you hover the S Pen over an email in Microsoft Outlook app to preview or execute quick actions, see the screenshot below.

MS-Outlook-S-Pen-update

As noted, though, the new Microsoft Outlook app update is rolling out gradually to users of the various Galaxy Note devices, meaning not everyone is able to access the new features right away. For now, we still don’t know if the tablets with S Pen support will also get this feature.

NOTE: You can check out more Samsung-related coverage here.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Hillary Keverenge
2094 Posts

Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.

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