During WWDC 2014 Apple didn’t only reveal Mac OSX Yosemite but also a new feature called Continuity which would increase the integration of Mac OSX with other Apple services and platforms like iOS and iCloud.
The service uses Bluetooth and Wifi to for example answer phone calls on your Mac, answer text messages from your Mac or load items worked on on Desktop on your iPhone without having to press any button. Now Samsung has launched a rival app on the Play Store called Samsung Flow.
Samsung Flow is Samsung’s Answer to Apple Continuity
What is Samsung Flow?
Samsung Flow is a platform that allows applications to seamlessly transition your activities across devices and time similar to how Continuity works. 2 of the main features you can do with Samsung Flow are:
- Transfer an activity to the right device for a task.
- Defer an activity when the right device is not immediately at hand or there just isn’t enough time to finish up a task.
By selecting a “Flow Destination” you can easily transfer any work you are doing (like browsing the web) to a different device. The app also allows you to for example open specific links or apps on other devices.
Samsung Flow compatible apps
Just like Continuity, Samsung flow is limited by the amount of apps that support this new service. Samsung’s own app already support Samsung flow and so do the following third party apps:
- Youtube
- SoundCloud
- Google Maps
- Yelp
More apps like Netflix are expected to be added soon. If you are a developer, you can check out the Developer page here
Samsung Flow How to use it and its Features
Samsung Flow is very easy to use, and all that is required is to install the app from the Play Store. Bellow is a step by step guide on how to Share certain content with another device:
- Look for the Sharing button
- Choose the Share Via “Flow” option
- Choose your Flow Destination (the device you want to share your content with)
Currently Flow supports 2 main features, with 4 new features coming in the future. The 2 features are Defer and Transfer:
- Defer: Samsung Flow allows you to defer an activity and resume it when you’re ready essentially moving activities across time as well as devices.
- Transfer: Allows you to share any activity of the supported apps mentioned above to another device.
Future features are Notify, Mirror and Divide. Mirror will allow you to stream content to another device. Divide will allow you to share your screen with another device, allowing you to work at the same time on your mobile device and tablet.
Samsung Flow Supported Devices
Unfortunately, Flow is limited to just a couple of devices with more devices being added in the future. For now, this is the list of devices that currently support Samsung Flow:
- Galaxy S5
- Galaxy S6
- Galaxy S6 Edge
- Galaxy Alpha
- Note 4
- Note Edge
- Galaxy Tab S
