Microsoft and Samsung expand partnership, empowering you across work and play

Today, we are excited to share the latest innovations in our partnership with Samsung, bringing together Samsung’s new devices for productivity with the best apps and services across Microsoft 365, Windows 10 and Xbox to help you across work and play.

We know technology is more important today than ever before. While life has changed for everyone, some important things remain the same. People need to connect. They need to work. They need to play and enjoy life. Together, Microsoft and Samsung are addressing these needs, creating experiences and devices that are easier to use than ever before while providing greater flexibility and access to the tools you need from any place at any time.

Since we announced our long-term partnership last year, we have been working closely to co-engineer experiences that help you move seamlessly between your devices and your life. Today, we share new integrations that will make this even easier.

Seamless connection between PC and Phone

We all rely on a variety of devices everyday across our work and personal lives, which often leads to disconnected experiences. A phone buzzing while you are in your work flow on your PC is the last thing you need, especially with the constant stream of interruptions we are facing while trying to work in new conditions. Microsoft’s Your Phone app and Link to Windows integration on select Samsung devices, enables you to stay in the flow by allowing you to take calls, check notifications, see photos and messages, all from your Windows 10 PC. Now, on your Samsung Galaxy Note20, you can access and interact with your favorite mobile apps directly on your Windows 10 PC through the Your Phone app [1].

When you launch an app, it opens in a separate window, allowing you to multi-task and saving you the time and hassle of sign-in or set up. You can also pin your phone’s Android apps to your Windows 10 taskbar or Start menu for quick and easy access, making things like checking out your social feed or ordering your lunch while you wrap up a conference call even easier, without ever picking up your phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note20 users can now access a single mobile app on their PC [2], with the power and convenience of running multiple apps side by side available later this year. Whether you are working on a document, keeping up on your social media feed or simply staying connected with family and friends, everything is accessible in one place, so your flow is never broken.

Productivity wherever you are

We are also making it seamless to transition between your Galaxy Note20 and Microsoft 365 apps with instant access to your most important notes across your devices. Coming soon, notes from Samsung Notes can automatically sync with your OneNote feed in Outlook on the web or OneNote as an image. You can quickly jot down your notes from a meeting or grocery list with your S Pen on Galaxy Note20 and have instant access to the content in your productivity apps like Outlook and OneNote.

You will also be able to sync Samsung Reminders from your Galaxy Note20 to your Windows 10 PC across Microsoft To Do, Outlook and Microsoft Teams experiences, so you can view and edit from anywhere, keeping your reminders aligned across your phone, PC and apps.

For the past year, Outlook has served as the app for personal productivity on new Samsung phones. We’re excited to announce today that we’re extending this integration to include Samsung Galaxy watches, including the new Galaxy Watch3. As the native email app on your most important devices across the Samsung ecosystem, Outlook will help you stay organized and productive. Custom optimization for S Pen will also be available on Galaxy Note20, making it easy to write or ink on photographs from your gallery. And Outlook brings Play My Emails to Android devices [3], offering a voice forward, hands-free way to listen and respond to what’s new in your inbox so you can get time back in your day.

With OneDrive on Samsung Galaxy phones, you have your important files, documents and photos at your fingertips across devices. You can set your phone’s camera roll to automatically sync to OneDrive with Gallery, so your photos and videos are protected and always accessible. And with OneDrive Personal Vault you can store and protect important files with peace of mind behind an extra layer of identity verification. You can keep digital copies of your passport, ID cards, insurance, taxes and other sensitive files in OneDrive and access them securely on your device wherever you are [4].

Xbox Game Pass in your hands

Today, we also announced Xbox is partnering with Samsung to make gaming more accessible to players around the world, via the cloud. With cloud gaming (beta) as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Microsoft’s gaming subscription service, members can play Xbox games on their Xbox console, PC and Android devices using an Xbox controller. Mobile players can play over 100 high-quality Xbox games directly on their Galaxy phone or tablet.

Beginning Sept. 15, you’ll be able to experience the best of Xbox Game Pass by downloading the app from the Samsung Galaxy Store, giving you the freedom to access expansion packs, downloadable content and more. Whether it’s racing through the beautiful English countryside in Forza Horizon 4 on a new Galaxy Note20 during a lunch break, or fighting alongside your pet llama in Minecraft Dungeons on a Tab S7 at home once the workday ends, Galaxy devices provide the best way to pick up and play games directly from the cloud.

Customers who pre-order the new Galaxy Note20 have the option to select the Gaming Bundle at purchase, which includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Additionally, Samsung is including the all-new Power A MOGA XP5-X Plus Bluetooth Controller with an attachable phone clip with the Gaming Bundle to ensure those Galaxy Note20 customers enjoy a great cloud gaming experience. Pre-orders begin today and cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate goes live in 22 markets in North America, Europe and South Korea beginning Sept. 15.

With Xbox Game Pass on your Samsung Galaxy, your Xbox games are always in your pocket.

We are excited to continue working together with Samsung to create new experiences that enable your devices to work together seamlessly across work and play to help you stay in your flow – whatever that may be.

[1] Users must link their Galaxy device to their Windows PC through ‘Link to Windows’ on phone and Your Phone app on PC, follow the set-up prompts, including being signed into same Microsoft account. Link to Windows is preloaded on select Galaxy devices. Your Phone requires latest Windows 10 Update on the PC. Galaxy device must be on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the PC.

Some mobile apps may restrict content to be shared on other screens or may require a touch screen to be able to interact with them.

Ability to run multiple apps simultaneously will start rolling out in November 2020.

[2] Beginning 8/21 with retail availability of Samsung Galaxy Note20.

[3] U.S only.

[4] OneDrive Basic 5 GB free accounts and 100 GB plans can store a maximum of 3 files in Personal Vault. A Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription is required to store more than 3 files in Personal Vault.