What you need to know
- Google is apparently working on a "Link Your Devices" feature so users can connect devices using the same account together.
- The discovery details "Call Switching" should be possible so users can swap a call from their phone to another device without dropping it.
- "Internet Sharing" was also discovered, though not listed, and it may function similarly to Android's hotspot.
Google is apparently working on a way users can link their Android devices together for a little more flexibility and convenience.
The discovery was detailed by Mishaal Rahman on X and shows off an upcoming "Link Your Devices" menu. According to the post, users will soon have a way to link Android devices with the same Google account together. For now, the only feature available is "Call Switching." When toggled on, users can swap a call from one device to another without needing to redial.
The menu offers further information for users such as the Google account's email to ensure they've got the right one, as well as a list containing the linked devices.
You may soon be able to "link your [Android] devices" signed into the same Google account together. This will enable "call switching", which lets you switch between devices for calls, as well as "Internet sharing"!H/T @Nail_Sadykov pic.twitter.com/WCunYNE9GQAugust 10, 2023
Though it's not in the menu, Rahman also found the existence of "Internet Sharing" as part of this Android device link. This will likely play on Android's existing hotspot feature for sharing a Wi-Fi or an internet connection through Bluetooth.
Additionally, linked devices may be seen by others on the same Wi-Fi connection for easy discovery. Moreover, it seems apps will be able to inform users about ways they can use their linked Android phones to share content across them.
While we wait, it looks like once Google rolls this out, users will find it by heading into Settings > Google > Device & Sharing to set everything up.
Google's work to incorporate a proper device linking feature comes at a time when its competition has done it for a while already. Apple has, for a while, offered "Continuity" for several iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. This essentially lets users connect these products to share a cellular connection, AirDrop files, texts, and calls.
Furthermore, a more direct connection here would be the likes of Samsung, which has offered "Continue Apps" for several OS iterations, letting users seamlessly pick up an app where they left off between certain Galaxy devices.
Google's "Link Your Devices" is still a work in progress, but some progress is better than none. With Android 14 rapidly approaching, if we don't see this feature with its stable rollout, an update down the road may hold it.
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