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Last month we looked at apps that allow you to connect iOS devices to your Windows 10 PC. But if you're on Android and Windows 10, you don't need to feel left out. There are a number of ways to connect your Android devices to your PC. In fact, due to the open nature of Android, there are even more options.

While there are many Microsoft apps available for Android, this list is about apps that connect your phone and your PC, not just services that are available on both.

From mirroring your screen to connecting your devices through the web, these are the best apps to connect your Android phone to Windows 10.

AirDroid

AirDroid extends your Android phone experience to your PC. You can mirror the entire phone screen and control your phone through your PC or just sync specific aspects of the phone such as notifications. You can respond to messages from your PC through SMS, WhatsApp, Kik, and other messaging services and also have the option to send quick replies to someone who calls you on the phone.

You can also use it to transfer files between your phone and your PC and control your camera remotely.

Setting up AirDroid takes a little bit of work, you have to unlock developer options and turn on USB debugging, but the app and AirDroid's website walk you through this.

There's a basic free version of the app, or you can upgrade to pro for $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. The pro version removes ads, allows you to transfer entire folders, and grants you access to more features broken down on their website.

I like the idea of AirDroid, and it worked fairly well in my testing, but screen mirroring did run into some glitches, as did notifications. This could be based on my hardware so it's worth trying it out on your setup to see how it performs.

Vysor

Vysor is another way to mirror your Android phone onto your PC. It also allows you to drag and drop files and take screenshots. You can also use Vysor to type into text boxes on your phone using your PCs keyboard.

One way it differs from AirDroid is that it allows you to use Vysor Share, though you need a Vysor Pro account, which lets you share your phone with people throughout your office.

There is a free version of Vysor but to unlock high quality mirroring, wireless connection, Vysor Share, and more features you'll need to upgrade to Vysor Pro which costs $2.50 per month, $10 per year or $40 for a lifetime.

Textto

Rather than mirroring your entire screen or all of your notifications, Textto specializes in allowing you to text from your PC. Setting it up is incredibly easy. You just need to sign up with a Gmail account on both the Android app and PC version of Textto. You can then text from your computer through Textto's PC program or the web. It works wirelessly so you can set it up and then just text from your phone or PC.

Textto doesn't replace your SMS app of choice on your phone, it just relays your text messages through your PC. I was incredibly impressed while using this and it's especially useful because Skype SMS relay still hasn't arrived on Android.

You can get the PC version from Textto's website and download the Android app through Google Play. Both of them are free.

Photos Companion

Photos Companion comes from the Microsoft Garage. It allows you to send your photos between your Android phone and your PC as long as you're on the same wireless network. The connection works almost instantaneously and only requires scanning a QR code to set up.

The Android version of the app is free, and the Windows 10 Photos app comes for free as part of Windows 10.

Cortana

There's no shortage of digital assistants on Android, but if you use a Windows 10 PC, it's worth checking out Cortana. The assistant can sync reminders, lists, notes on both your Android phone and PC. It can also sync notifications from your phone with your PC.

Cortana has become easier to access than ever on Android phones by its integration with Microsoft Launcher. Cortana is free on Android, as is Microsoft Launcher which can integrate with it, and is also built into Windows 10.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge provides a nice browser experience as its own app on Android, but it's especially useful if you want to continue your browsing experience from your phone to your PC. You can select to continue viewing any webpage on your PC immediately or select to view it later.

Microsoft Edge also syncs with other aspects of the PC version of Edge including favorites so you can have a close to seamless browsing experience.

Edge is part of Windows 10, and the Android version is free.

Honorable mentions

There are two other apps that help you connect your phone to your PC, but they are restricted to specific hardware.

Dell Mobile Connect

Dell Mobile Connect allows you to make calls and texts through your PC and also lets you read and react to notifications. Our executive editor, Daniel Rubino, has called it amazing and it looks like a big draw to anyone considering new hardware. But the app is not only restricted to working with Dell PCs, it only works with specific Dell PCs. Hopefully, we'll see more hardware from Dell supporting this in the future and other OEMs making similar applications.

Dell Mobile Connect is amazing. Full mirroring of Android on Windows 10. Make/receive calls/sms. pic.twitter.com/70zY0ZcvtL

— Daniel Rubino (@Daniel_Rubino) March 1, 2018

HP also has an app of their own, HP Orbit, which allows you to send photos, text, and links between your phone and your PC. As you'd expect, it requires an HP PC. It isn't as powerful as Dell Mobile Connect but is very fast.

Over to you

These are some of the best ways to connect Android phones to Windows 10 PCs, but they aren't the only ways. What are your favourite apps and services to connect your devices across platforms? Let us know in the comments below.

Apps on Windows have gotten better. But every once in a while, you’ll stumble upon a really useful mobile app that hasn’t made its way to PC yet. If it runs on Android, though, there’s good news. With the help of third-party software, you can probably run it on your Windows computer. On the other hand, if you’re running a Chromebook, you may want to check out our dedicated guide to installing Android apps on Chrome OS.

Further reading

Unfortunately, getting apps from your phone or tablet to your PC isn’t as easy as installing a Windows program, though Microsoft could be working on an option to bring Android app mirroring in Windows 10. There are a number of ways to do it, however, ranging from emulators to dual-booting. To help simplify things, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on what software and utilities you need to install Android apps on almost any Windows computer.

Bluestacks emulator

The Bluestacks App Player is one of the most robust Android emulators around, allowing you to run games and apps on Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) on your Windows desktop. It boasts a custom-designed interface that makes it easy to toggle emulation settings and launch apps and “Layercake” technology that uses hardware accelerators to improve the performance of Android games in Windows. If you have a Facebook or Twitch account and a PC with more than 8GB of RAM, you can even broadcast apps and games directly from the Bluestacks window. Hindi remix song.

It’s important to note that while Bluestacks is free, an optional subscription ($2 per month) enables premium support and exclusive offers from app developers. Here’s how to install Bluestacks to your computer’s hard drive:

Step 1: Download the installer from the official Bluestacks website.

Step 2: Launch the install application and choose the storage location for app and data files. Unfortunately, you can’t change the Bluestacks directory — it will install on your boot drive by default.

Step 3: Once Bluestacks finishes installing, launch it. Enter your Google account credentials — you’ll log into the Google Play Store, where you’ll find all of your installed and purchased apps.

Dual booting

There’s an alternative to Android emulators that gives you newer versions of Android, but the setup’s a bit more involved. It’s called “dual booting,” and it effectively transforms your Windows computer into an Android device. You’ll gain the option to boot into Android when you switch on your computer, and Android will work just like it does on your smartphone or tablet.

It’s not as simple as installing native Android, though. Because computer hardware like Intel processors, graphics cards, and physical hard drives have to be added by a third-party developer to Android, you’ll need to find a custom distribution that supports your machine.

Phoenix OS

Like the now-defunct Remix OS, Phoenix OS is a full Android 7.1 or 5.1 operating system that runs on your Windows machine. That gives it the functionality of a desktop OS, along with all of the compatibility with Android applications. Here’s how to get yourself set up to use it.

Step 1: Go to the Phoenix OS download page and download the latest installer for your PC. Choose the .exe or .ISO file for the version of Android you prefer. Currently, you choose the installer for Android 7.1 or Android 5.1.

Step 2: Create a new partition for Phoenix OS to install onto. For more information on how to do that, see our Windows guide.

Step 3: Run the Phoenix OS installer and install it on the new partition. Alternatively, create a bootable USB drive with it, and install on boot.

Step 4: Choose a volume letter and the size of the volume you want to create.

Step 5: Wait for the installation process to complete. Then reboot and choose Phoenix OS from your boot menu. The latest versions of Phoenix OS come preloaded with the Google Play Store, so download your apps from there and away you go!

Android-X86

Android-x86 is an open-source project that seeks to port the newest version Android to Windows hardware, which currently is at Android 8.1 RC2 Oreo. The latest version of Android-x86 adds much-welcome support for Google’s notification features, smarter management of background apps, smart text selection, and OpenGL ES 3.x hardware acceleration for Intel, AMD, and Nvidia graphics.

Though customizations to the Android OS are minimal, the Android-x86 team did add some meaningful tweaks to give your Android install a desktop-like interface. This version comes with features like a new Taskbar launcher and apps can also launch in resizable windows rather than just full-screen.

Android-x86 also lets you customize Android to your liking. You can install third-party themes, home screens, and more without having to worry whether or not they will play nicely together — unlike Remix OS. See this list for supported devices. Here’s how to install Android-x86 to your PC’s hard drive;

Step 1: First, make sure your computer’s hard drive has at least 2GB of free space. Download the latest Android-x86 ISO. If your device isn’t listed, download the generic file.

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Step 2: Download UNetbootin. Open UNetbootin and select the Android-x86 ISO file you downloaded earlier. Select USB drive from the list of options, and click OK. Wait for UNetbootin to copy and install Android-x86 to your flash drive.

Step 3: Reboot your computer and select Boot to the Boot Device Selection screen. Then select your flash drive. From the UNetbootin menu, select Install Android-x86 to hard disk.

Step 4: Select the partition — or location — to which you want to install Android-x86. The program will ask if you want to format the disk; if you’re unsure, don’t.

Step 5: You’ll be asked if you want to install GRUB. Select Yes, and Yes again. You’ll then be asked if you want to “make system r/w,” which enables Android-x86 to read and write data to your hard drive. Select Yes.

Step 6: Reboot your computer for the second time. Once installed, as with Phoenix OS, use the Google Play store to install Android apps as you wish.