Microsoft's Your Phone can now show recent apps through the Windows taskbar

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Your recent apps are just a click away, thanks to the latest feature for Microsoft's Your Phone.

Your Phone Companion Android
Your Phone Companion Android (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Windows Insiders can now view their recently used apps from Microsoft's Your Phone.
  • The functionality requires a supported Samsung Galaxy Phone, such as the Z Fold, Z Flip, Note, or S series device.
  • The feature shows the three most recent apps used by Your Phone in the Windows taskbar.

Microsoft's Your Phone app has a new feature for Windows Insiders to try out. Following an update, Your Phone can show the three most recent apps that have been used through the Windows taskbar. The recent apps section of Your Phone will also show which applications have been used recently. To test out the feature, Insiders need to have the latest version of Your Phone and a supported Samsung device.

The new Your Phone feature was announced alongside Windows 11 preview build 22557. Microsoft outlines the requirements to use the recent apps feature:

  • Your Phone app version 1.21092.145.0 or higher. Older versions will not show recent apps even if you have a supported device.
  • A supported Android device. Recent Apps requires a deeper level of integration with the Android device and the team worked directly with Samsung to light this up. It is available on select Samsung devices that have Link to Windows, with OneUI 3.1.1 or higher and Link to Windows Service 2.3 or higher, such as:
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
  • Samsung Galaxy S series
  • Samsung Galaxy Note series
  • Your Android device and PC need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network for apps to launch on your PC.

The new feature is available for all Windows Insiders with supported Samsung devices, regardless of which Insider ring they're enrolled in.

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Your Phone syncs your photos, text messages, and notifications between your phone and your PC. Now, Insiders can view their recently used apps through the Windows taskbar.

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Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.