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Hope you can help...
I'd like to be able to control my mobile from my computer - the phone (android) is in the kitchen charging, and I'm sitting at my laptop (win 10) in the other room. My father in law has given all mrswithchips's inheritance to apple, which has integration between devices.
So far I have found AirDroid and MightyText, both of which will let me do SMS and will also act as a remote keypad for the phone. But I have to speak and listen to the phone itself.
The ideal product would do this, but also let me have a conversation using the laptop mike and speakers (or indeed a headset). Free is preferable, but not essential if I know the product's going to work!
your thoughts appreciated
I guess "buy a macbook and an iphone" isn't an option?
Haha, I wondered if that would be suggested. I'm not entirely averse to the idea, but it does seem an expensive way to support my laziness.
Oh and while wifi calling looks attractive, it's not quite the answer - calls need to be routed via my mobile number.
Why does it need to be via your laptop? Bluetooth headset for your mobile? I assume android has voice control like Siri?
Radical idea this, not sure it's workable...
...you could plug the charger in, in the room you're sat in!?
Can't you charge it by plugging into the USB on the computer, then you'd have it right there?
I know Apple aren't in to being able to plug common devices into each other, but that silliness hasn't affected Android and Windows PCs yet.
Good suggestion - just tried and bluetooth doesn't quite reach down the hallway (or at least not with the headset I tried).
The other issue (besides charging, and yes I should have been clearer in retrospect!) is that the signal is rubbish other than in the kitchen. While I can charge the phone from where i am sat, calls get dropped. So what could e.g. be a work call from the office is held over the noise of cooking the kids tea.
We corporately use Skype for Business for all office phones. You can set it up to simultaneous ringing on a mobile.
Couple of option you might not have thought about, calls via WIFI? I know it's supported on Vodafone/Iphone not sure other carriers/devices support it.
Signal booster?
Get a skype landline number (£40 per year) and then turn on call forwarding to the skype number when the phone is in the kitchen.
Calling out would still have to be from the skype number but it would take care of the incoming work call problem.
I use a skype number for all by work stuff, if the computer is turned off, I'm not working! (Skype will take a message)
Yes, I'm beginning to wonder if that's the way it'll need to go.
The mobile is on Virgin Mobile, who don't offer boosters, and their view on Wifi calling is to route calls via a landline (i want to route via mobile really). Vodafone's approach to Wifi calling seems to do that, but their coverage is worse that what I have now.
turn on call forwarding to the skype number when the phone is in the kitchen.
You'll pay for the forwarded call, mind.
Gah, why hasn't this thing got a name? Wifi calling seems to mean about five different combinations of which number shows up at the other end!
I can make phone calls on the Mac??
I can make phone calls on the Mac??
Yes, if you have an iPhone and you're connected to the same wifi network. You can also receive/send SMS from your mobile number. The phone in question must be connected to the internet (3/4G is fine).
Install android apps on your PC and sync
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/how-run-android-on-pc-computer-apps-3504642/
Let app to share sms messages
You can even have Skype "pretend" to be your mobile:Calling out would still have to be from the skype number but it would take care of the incoming work call problem.
https://www.skype.com/en/features/caller-identification/?intcmp=CS-Upsell-FA273
Aha, https://www.justremotephone.com/ looked promising, until I got to the FAQs which suggest that access to microphone and speakers isn't supported by android. So while a dialler app is available (and there are several), calls need to be conducted via bluetooth or the phone itself.
The Brick - I'm not sure if I've misunderstood what you are pointing me to?
Skype (or hangouts I guess) is looking like the 'best' option, but forwarding and subscriptions look like they'll add up a bit. Might as well by a Mac!
Wilburt, yes I think you need iOS 8 and OS X - it's very impressive!
Certainly using an iPad and iPhone, if the phone rings in another room you can pick up the call and carry on the conversation on the pad, as if it's just a big phone, you just don't need to hold the thing to your ear and look like a muppet! 😀
Haha, just remembered Dom Joly!
The Brick - I'm not sure if I've misunderstood what you are pointing me to?
You can run android apps on your PC. This is the first link.
Then to get integration with your phone install various apps. E.g install the same calendar on phone and PC. To share sms messages install the app in second link. Repeat as required. To share phonecalls as others have said Skype would be your best bet and runs natively on windows. Although there may be android tablet apps that you could install on your android of system. Just look at and consider tablet apps.
My Nexus 5x has WiFi calling. Basically if my phone is connected to a WiFi network I can make outgoing calls on it over WiFi. Just tried disabling the SIM (Aeroplane mode) but leaving it on WiFi and calling it from a landline, I got sent through to vociemail. So look like this instance of WiFi calling won't work for you. This is on EE.
I know a few people at work got a gizmo when we were on vodafone that routed all calls via WiFi and worked for incoming and outgoing calls as they had poor reception at home. Dunno if Virgin offer something similar. I believe that you can get similar boxes from eBay but not sure how OFCOM would rule on them as I "think" they setup a mini GSM cell for you and route the call over WiFi.
So, the setup you have so far will let you send/receive texts and make a call, it's just that you can't hear anything as the sound comes out of the phone, yes?
Buy a cheap Bluetooth headset and leave it by your laptop. Connect it to phone when you are working on laptop.
Rachel
Setup your mobile phone to forward calls to your landline when it's not got a signal. You can probbaly get an app to do it for you atutomatically based on some geofencing i.e. your phone being in your house. I think you may pay for the calls but unless you're eating through your free minutes already it should be ok.
Thanks folks - as I think I was finding there's lots of ways to do 'most' of it, but full apple-style integration seems to be a little way off.
What I think I've discovered is that there are several routes to partial integration. Various apps (mightytext, airdroid, justremotephone) will allow me to control the functions of the device (as will loading tablet apps in an emulator, thanks TheBrick got it now!). Although these give dialler and sms control, android seems to prohibit full integration with microphone and speaker.
The consequence of this is that although I can make the device dial the number, or pick up, I have to use the device to actually speak to someone.
This then leaves some choices:
- bluetooth headset (or possible configure my laptop to act as a bluetooth headset) are limited in my case by range, but seem to be the simple answer.
- call forwarding (skype, to landline, etc) would seem to incur cost (not a problem in itself, more a consideration) and appears to work better for inbound than outbound calls in my case (but as poly says the caller id in skype is configurable)
- WiFi calling is useful in some circumstances, but most providers describe this as the opposite of what I want to achieve (they route from mobile to wifi, and out via a landline - I want to go out via mobile)
- signal boosters will help on some networks, but not available on mine (I have an OfCOM license for other reasons that I'd like to keep, so won't be using the ebay ones myself...)
I'll report back.
thanks again
T
I promised to report back!
TLDR: MightyText better than AirDroid. No integration with microphone/speaker on android.
Long story: I tried AirDroid for a while, but an upgrade seemed to result in a loss of reliable connection between phone and PC - both needed to be on the same wifi network, but the connection keeps getting lost.
I got fed up of it dropping, so have been using MightyText since. It is browser based (on PC) and app installed on the phone. This gives access to phone alerts from the PC, and the ability to send and receive texts, etc. It provides caller display and dialler functions (so i can see who is calling without looking at the phone), but no microphone/speaker integration as noted above). The bits it does do, it seems to do pretty well.
The other thing about MightyText is that it seems to be routing via the web, rather than local wifi - meaning the phone doesn't need to be on the same wifi network (e.g. in a hotel).