Do you know how long it took Windows to finally have a similar function? Just this month Google launched a beta feature of its Share Nearby service, which allows you to share files from your Android phone to your Windows PC. Until then, files could only be transferred via Nearby Share within the Google ecosystem.
Meanwhile, only the sharing function with other Windows computers has been provided on Windows computers. Here, you need Windows 11 which supports Wi-Fi for fast transfer. Windows 10 computers share via Bluetooth, which is slower. Also, according to my personal experience, I can’t explain it, but there were glitches such as file transfer stopping in the middle.
Such a messy, clumsy user experience does not exist in the Apple world. Of course, file transfer works ‘only’. Why not on Windows? Why doesn’t Windows, the largest mobile operating system, work seamlessly with other Windows devices? And why did an airdrop come out with a connectable product 10 years after launch?
Apple beats Windows (and Android) in other areas too, like texting. In the Apple ecosystem, you don’t have to be tied to your phone. You can access iMessage on Macs and iPads signed in with the same account. The closest way to do this on Android is to use Messages for the web (which I use often, but not exactly), or Phone Link on Windows.
The latter, while decent, is unpolished and requires a Microsoft account to use. If you own a Samsung device, you can get closer to the iMessage experience on Samsung phones and tablets. You can access it using Phone Connect in Windows. Personally, however, this is not a very good solution.
The walled ecosystem needs to be brought out. By 2023, it doesn’t feel like a huge demand like it was 10 years ago. I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but don’t you say the enemy of your enemy is your friend? Microsoft and Google must work together stronger and faster.
Until now, third-party software has filled that gap. But it wasn’t always an option I liked. There were also security and privacy concerns about entrusting personal data to third parties. Sometimes I was tempted to switch to Apple. Of course, I then closed the purchase window, remembering that you can’t change the default Maps app on the iPhone.
Between the two families, I find that the burden of adding additional software and settings to the basic features reaches an unbearable limit. If this continues, maybe one day you won’t be able to change the way your phone’s icons look, or you’ll be fine with icons anywhere on your home screen. But until then, I want to know. Many people use Windows and Android. But why is the relationship between the two not improving?
editor@itworld.co.kr
