Google is reportedly working on a new smartphone feature that will allow users to connect multiple Android devices to a single Google account.
The technology, known as “Link Your Devices”, was initially noticed by well-known insider Nail Sadykov, who posted his findings on his website Google News channel on Telegram. According to an image from another insider, Mishaal Rahman, the tool will be housed in the Settings menu, more specifically in the “Devices and Sharing” section. No one knows the full extent of what Link Your Devices will do at launch, but we know it can do Call Switching. As the name suggests, the tool allows you to “switch between devices for calls”. So you can start a phone call on one Android device, put it down, then pick up another and continue your conservation there.
You may soon be able to “link your (Android) devices” together logged into the same Google account. This enables “call switching”, which allows you to switch between devices for calls, as well as “Internet Sharing”! H/T @Nail_Sadykov pic.twitter.com/WCunYNE9GQAugust 10, 2023
Speculation
Well, that’s the idea. At this point, it’s all guesswork. Rahman himself believes that Link Your Devices could use the Telecom Jetpack library, a “cross-device SDK (software development kit)” first previewed during Google I/O 2023.
Without getting too technical, Telecom jet pack would allow “multi-device sessions over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ultra-wideband” among other things. The example given at the event is to imagine playing call audio on a smartphone and then transferring the output to a Pixel tablet.
We must mention Android Authority speculates in their report there could be a web sharing tool under Link Your Devices at some point. This would be an easy-to-use “mechanism” for setting up a personal hotspot for other connected phones.
Ahead of the competition
It is not known when Link Your Devices will be released. If 9to5Google points out, the feature has not appeared in any of the “earlier Android 14 releases”. It could be something associated with the launch of Android 14 or a future drop exclusive to Pixel phones.
If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because Link Your Devices is similar to iPhone mobile calls on iOS. This feature allows people to call on a Mac or iPad, assuming the hardware is “on the same network as your iPhone.” However, contrary to what is expected from Link Your Devices, iPhones cannot transfer or receive calls directly to another iPhone.
This could be the edge Google needs to lead iOS users to Android. It could at least be more effective than the recent series of online commercials the tech giant recently rolled out.
However, if the ads were effective for you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best android phones for 2023 for some recommendations.