Windows 11 has a hidden feature that barely anyone knows exists, and Microsoft just made a crucial update that could actually make it useful

Windows 11 has a feature called Resume that lets you switch what you’re doing from your phone to your computer. It works like Apple’s Handoff feature. If you’re using an app on your phone and move to your Windows PC, the system notices and asks if you want to keep using that app on your computer.

The problem is that Resume doesn’t work well right now. Microsoft calls it Cross Device Resume, or XDR, behind the scenes. Most people don’t even know it exists because only a few apps support it. Right now, it mainly works with Spotify and Microsoft 365, and that’s about it.

Microsoft is now moving to address the issue. According to XDA, the company has updated its developer documentation, quietly expanding support for Windows Resume. The changes suggest that a wider range of Android apps can now take advantage of the feature, allowing users to pick up where they left off across devices more reliably than before.

Microsoft opens the door for more apps to join Resume

Microsoft always wanted other developers to add their apps to Windows Resume. But there was a big issue from the start. When the feature first came out, developers could only use it through the Link to Windows system. This system didn’t work for all apps, which stopped many developers from adding Resume support to their software.

The new update changes this. Microsoft added a second way for developers to make their apps work with Resume. This new method uses the Windows Push Notification Service, or WNS. Developers can use WNS to add their apps to Windows Resume much more easily than before. Microsoft has been making several changes to Windows lately, including ending Steam support for older systems.

The process still has some steps though. Developers can’t just add the feature on their own. They need to send a request to Microsoft first. Microsoft will then create a special ID and channel for that app. Also, the app must be available on both Windows and Android for Resume to work. If the app only exists on one platform, there’s nothing to hand off between devices.

This update could finally make Windows Resume useful. More apps joining the feature means more people will actually use it. Right now, the feature feels incomplete because it works with so few apps. Sometimes simple mistakes can ruin expensive tech, much like how one Porsche owner destroyed their GT3 moments after buying it.