How to Make Calls, Send and Receive SMS From Your Computer Using an Android Phone

The launch of iOS 8 in September brought a number of very cool features, with Continuity perhaps topping the list of enhancements. It allows you to make and receive phone calls and send and receive text messages using your iPad or Mac, as long as they're connected to the same Wi-Fi network and Apple ID. This is quite handy if you're working on your Mac and don't want to switch back to the iPhone just to check a text or to receive a call.

(Also see: How to Make and Answer Calls, Send and Receive SMS From Your iPad, Mac)

If you're using a Mac and an iPhone that's a great feature to have, but Android users need not feel left out either. AirDroid gives Android users most of Continuity's features and allows some things that'll make Apple users jealous.

Continuity also has a feature called Handoff, which allows you to pick up where you left off with apps. Whether it's finishing an incomplete message on Mail or a document in Pages, these automatically sync across Apple devices with Handoff. Third-party apps such as Google Chrome also support this feature, but this is only available if developers choose to add it.

AirDroid doesn't have anything like Handoff and doesn't let you receive phone calls. It can mirror your Android device's screen to your computer if your phone is rooted. This feature is useful if you want to use your phone's apps on your PC. If your phone is not rooted, you only get notifications for text messages, phone calls, and from other system apps.

Airdroid 3 lets you send and receive text messages, make and reject calls, receive notifications and transfer files via your computer. You control the phone using a Web client, so you don't have to install any software, and can use the app simply by visiting a webpage on either your PC or Mac.

1. Download AirDroid on your Android phone.
2. Open the app on your Android phone.
3. The app will ask you to create an account, but it is not needed. Just tap the tinySign in later button at the bottom.
4. Now AirDroid will ask you for permission to show notifications on your computer in real time. Tap Enable.
5. This will take you to the system settings for access to notifications. Tap AirDroid Notification Mirror service.
6. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap OK.
7. Now hit the back button on your phone to return to AirDroid. The app will now display a URL - http://web.airdroid.com - on the phone.
8. Open the URL in any Web browser on your computer. You'll see a QR code in the browser window.
9. On AirDroid on your Android phone, tap the QR code image next to the URL. This will open the camera.
10. Point the camera at the QR code in the browser window on your computer. The Android app will vibrate when it has scanned the code.

That's it, now you can get all Android notifications in that browser window. It's quite similar to the way you connect WhatsApp Web to your phone. In the browser window you will see apps such as Screenshot, Camera, Music, Photos, Videos - all of these are self explanatory. You can access the phone's camera via the computer, take screenshots, view and transfer photos and videos and listen and transfer songs as well. AirDroid makes it very easy to manage your Android phone from your PC as you can also see recent calls by clicking on Call Logs and backup apk files by clicking on Apps.

There are some other simple things you can do using AirDroid such as sending text messages directly from your PC.

1. In the browser window, click on the Messages app.
2. All the text messages on your phone will show up here.
3. Click New Message on the top-right to compose a new text. Click Send to send it across.
4. When you receive any text messages, you'll get a notification in the browser. Click the notification to view the text. Alternatively, you can click the Messages app to view all incoming messages.

You can also initiate a call using AirDroid on your PC, but the call isn't shared with your computer. The PC is only useful as a phone dialer.

1. Click the phone icon at the top of the page, next to the search bar on web.airdroid.com.
2. Dial the number in the keypad. As you start typing the number, a list of contacts with similar numbers will show up on the right. So you can also click the contact you want to call.
3. Click the blue Call button. Now you will have to switch to your Android phone to speak to the person. This is an unfortunate limitation and we suggest that you use a Bluetooth headset paired with your phone as a workaround.
4. AirDroid doesn't let you receive calls via the computer either, but you can reject calls with a text message. When someone calls, you will see a pop-up in the browser window. Click Reject to disconnect the call or Reject with message to send a text message to the caller.

AirDroid is not perfect for Continuity like features, but it comes pretty close. If you use any other Android apps that let you make phone calls or send text messages via your computer, let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, head to our How To section.

How to Make and Answer Calls, Send and Receive SMS From Your iPad, Mac

One of the headline features of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite is their ability to share phone calls and text messages. You can make calls and send text messages from both iPad and the Mac if you've updated to the latest versions of the software. This is incredibly convenient if you're wedded to the Apple ecosystem - you no longer have to switch devices just to answer a phone call. The ability to share phone calls is one of our favourite iOS 8 features and it is easy to set up too. Here's how you can start making and receiving phone calls on your iPad and Mac.
What you need
Any iPhone or iPad that can run iOS 8.1 or Mac that runs OS X Yosemite. You can share phone calls using iOS 8, but you will need to update to iOS 8.1 to send and receive SMS from your iPad and Mac.
How to make and receive phone calls across devices
It's quite simple to share phone calls between your Apple devices. You need to ensure a few things first. These are:
1. All of your devices are connected to the same WiFi network.
2. You have signed in to the same iCloud account on all your devices.
3. You've signed in to FaceTime using the same iCloud account on all devices.
4. Your devices are near each other and have Bluetooth switched on.
Once these things are set up, this is what you need to do.
1. On your iPhone and iOS, go to Settings > FaceTime > iPhone Mobile Calls > On.
2. On your Mac, Open FaceTime > Preferences > check iPhone Cellular Calls.
3. To enable text message forwarding to your iPad or Mac, On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding > On. Note, this option will appear only when there is a compatible iOS or Mac device connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You can toggle which device(s) you want the messages forwarded to.
4. Your other Apple devices will display a code that you need to key in on your iPhone to enable text message Continuity.
That's it. Now you're ready to start making and receiving calls and sending text messages from any of your iOS or Mac devices. Just pull up a contact and hit the call or message button.
Do you like this new feature? Does it work well for you? Let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, head to our How to section.

How to Enable and Use Continuity, Handoff Features on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

One of the best new features on iOS and Mac is the ability to seamlessly switch between your Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (5th generation). Continuity allows you to make and answer calls, send and receive text messages via your iPad, iPod touch (5th generation) and even your Mac. It also lets you pick up where you left off with supported apps and easily share a mobile Internet connection across Apple devices. If you compose a document in Pages or edit a photo on your Mac, you can continue it immediately from other Apple devices.
If your device supports Continuity, the feature is enabled by default. But if you haven't been able to use it yet, here's what you need and how it works.
What is Continuity
Continuity primary comprises these four features:
1. Handoff: The ability to pick up where you left off with apps. Whether it's wrapping up an unfinished message on Mail or a document in Pages, these automatically sync across Apple devices with Handoff. Third-party developers can add this feature to their apps too, though remember it won't work for third-party apps unless they have been explicitly updated to support Handoff across various devices.
2. Instant Hotspot: Lets your Apple devices share a mobile Internet connection easily. You don't need to enter a password to connect to the hotspot as long as your devices support this feature.
3. Phone calls: You can make and receive phone calls using any supported Apple device.
4. Text messages: In addition to sending iMessages like you always have, you can now also send and receive text messages using any supported Apple device.
Will it work on my Apple device?
Handoff and Instant Hotspot work on the following devices running iOS 8.1 or above:
1. iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus
2. iPhone 4s (only for sharing iPhone calls)
3. iPad (4th gen), iPad Air, iPad Air 2
4. iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad mini 3
5. iPod touch (5th generation)
And the following Macs running OS X Yosemite:
1. MacBook Air (Mid 2012 and later)
2. MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 and later)
3. iMac (Late 2012 and later)
4. Mac mini (Late 2012 and later)
5. Mac Pro (Late 2013)
The other Continuity features will run on any device that supports iOS 8.1 or OS X Yosemite.
How to setup Continuity
You need to ensure four things before you can use all Continuity features. These are:
1. All of your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. You have signed in to the same iCloud account on all your devices.
3. You've signed in to FaceTime using the same iCloud account on all devices.
4. Your devices are near each other and have Bluetooth switched on.
When you've done these things, Continuity will work because it is enabled by default. Here's how to manually enable all features, in case of any issues.
Handoff
1. On your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Handoff & Suggested Apps > On.
2. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > General > check Allow Handoff.
Once you've done this, and, say, you are composing an email on your iPhone and have the Mac nearby, Mail will show up in the Dock. Clicking on this will let you continue composing the email exactly where you left off without having to save a draft first on your iPhone, then finding it on the Mac and so on.
Conversely, if you start something on the Mac, an icon will pop up on your iPhone or iPad and you can tap it to quickly finish the task. At launch, Handoff works with Apple apps like Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts, but a host of third-party apps should add support soon.
Instant Hotspot
1. Settings > Personal Hotspot > On. You can do this on your iPhone or an iPad.
2. Now the mobile Internet connection will show up as a hotspot on your Apple devices. You can connect to it without entering the password, as long as you meet requirements like proximity and being signed in with the same Apple ID.
Phone calls and text messages
We've described this in detail here. You can follow the steps from that article.
If you're having issues with Continuity, you can check this Apple support page for some tips on how to fix your problem.
You can check out more tutorials in our How to section.