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Android's 'Continue On' Feature Bridges Phone and Tablet Gap
20 May
Summary
- New Android feature allows starting tasks on phone, continuing on tablet.
- Initially supports phone-to-tablet task transfer only.
- Feature to be tested in Android 17's RC1 build.
Google is enhancing Android's device interoperability with a new feature called "Continue On." This functionality mirrors Apple's Handoff, enabling users to begin a task on their Android smartphone and resume it directly on a compatible tablet.
At its launch, "Continue On" will exclusively support transferring tasks from a phone to a tablet. Android tablet users will find an icon in their dock indicating apps that are currently open on their phone and also installed on the tablet. This allows for direct access to documents, emails, or web pages.
Google plans to make "Continue On" available for testing in the RC1 build of Android 17. While a specific release date for this build has not yet been announced, this development, alongside previous announcements of Android-powered laptops, signals a significant step towards improved cross-device coordination within the Android ecosystem.
Future iterations of "Continue On" are expected to become bidirectional, allowing tasks to flow from tablets back to phones. The exact timeline for this reciprocal functionality has not been detailed by Google.
