How to make calls from Windows 10 using an Android phone.

If your computer runs Windows 10 and you also have an Android phone, you could be using Microsoft’s Your Phone app. You can do a lot with it, including sending text and making and receiving phone calls on your PC. It takes a few minutes to set up, but it fairly easy, here’s how!

What You’ll Need.

The Your Phone app could already be installed on your Windows 10 PC, it comes with later versions of Win 10. When connected to an Android device, it can mirror your notifications, sync photos, and send text messages.

To make phone calls using the Your Phone app, your devices must meet the following requirements:

• Your computer must be running Windows 10 with the May 2019 Update or later, have a microphone attached and have Bluetooth enabled. (To see your update history, click Start, then Update and Security, then in the Windows Update window, click View Update History. Check the date of the top Quality Update. If it’s later than May 2019 you’re OK.)

• Your Android device must be running Android 7.0 or above. (To see what version you have, select Settings, then scroll down to About Phone, select it then select Software Information, this will show you the Android version powering your device.)

Before attempting to use the phone call feature, you’ll have to follow the initial setup process for Your Phone apps on your PC and Android device.

The app doesn’t work with iPhones as Apple won’t let Microsoft or other third parties integrate as deeply with the iPhone’s iOS operating system.

Starting with your Android device:  Download and install Your Phone Companion from the Google Play Store on your Android phone or tablet.

Once downloaded, open the app and sign in with your Microsoft account (If you use other Microsoft apps, you may be signed in already.). Tap “Continue” when you’re signed in.

Next, you’ll need to grant the app some permissions. Tap “Continue” to proceed.

The first permission will be to access your contacts. The app uses this information for texting and calling from your PC. Tap “Allow.”

The next permission is for making and managing phone calls. Select “Allow.”

Next, it will need access to your photos, media, and files. This is necessary for transferring files. Tap “Allow.”

Lastly, grant the app permission to send and view SMS messages by tapping “Allow.”

With permissions out of the way, the next screen will tell you about letting the app run in the background to stay connected to your PC. Tap “Continue” to proceed.

A pop-up will ask if you want to allow the app to always run in the background. Select “Allow.”

That’s all there is to do on the Android side for now. You’ll find the “Your Phone” app preinstalled on your Windows 10 PC, open it from the Start menu. If you don’t see it, download the Your Phone app from the Microsoft Store.

When you first open the app on your PC, it may detect that you just set up a new device and ask whether you want to make it your default. If the device you set up is your primary device, (in this case a Pixel 5) it’s recommended that you do this.

The PC app will now instruct you to check your Android device for a notification. The notification will ask whether you want to allow your device to connect to the PC. Tap “Allow” to proceed.

Back on your PC, you’ll now see a welcome message. You can choose to pin the Your Phone app to the taskbar (a good idea). Tap “Get Started” to move on.

The Your Phone app will now guide you through setting up some of the features. First, tap “See My Notifications.”

In order for this feature to work, you must give the Your Phone Companion app permission to see Android notifications. Click “Open Settings on Phone” to get started.

On your Android device, a notification will appear prompting you to open the notification settings. Tap “Open” to go there.

The “Notification Access” settings will open. Find “Your Phone Companion” from the list and make sure that “Allow Notification Access” is enabled.

That’s it! You’ll now see your notifications appear in the “Notifications” tab on the Windows app. When a notification appears, you can remove it from your Android device by clicking the “X” icon.

The “Messages” tab will automatically show your text messages from your phone, no setup required. Simply type in the text box to reply to a message, or tap “New Message.” To send a new one.

The “Photos” tab also doesn’t require any setup. It will show recent photos from your device.

In the sidebar, you can even see the battery level of your connected device.

You’ve now got the basics up and running. Your Phone is an extremely handy app, especially if you spend a lot of time on a Windows 10 PC all day. You now won’t need to pick up your phone so many times.

Here’s how to make calls

First, makes sure your phone is on and unlocked and the Bluetooth feature on your computer is on then move to the Windows app on your computer and click the “Calls” tab, and then click “Get Started.”

A pop-up containing a Bluetooth PIN will appear on your PC.

A pop-up containing the same PIN should also appear on your Android device. Make sure the codes match, and then click “Yes” on your PC and tap “Pair” on your Android device.

It’s now up and running, but you’ll only be able to dial numbers. To show your call log, you have to grant permission on your phone; click “Send Permission” to proceed.

A notification will appear on your Android device; tap “Open” to launch the permission dialog.

Tap “Allow” in the permission pop-up. If you don’t see a pop-up, you can manually grant permission. To do so, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > See All Apps > Your Phone Companion > Permissions, and then select “Allow” under “Call Logs Access for This App.”

Your recent calls will now show up in the Your Phone app on Windows 10. To make a call from your PC, you can select a recent call and click the phone icon, search for contacts, or use the dial pad.

When you receive a phone call, a notification will appear on your PC, and you can click “Accept” or “Decline.”

That’s all there is to it! You can now make and receive phone calls from your PC.