Samsung phones will soon unlock your Windows PC for you

Many people own both a Samsung phone and a Windows 10 desktop or notebook PC, especially for work. Now Samsung is preparing an update to its Samsung Flow app that will let you unlock your Windows computer using the fingerprint scanner on your phone, which should be a big help for people concerned with security.

This feature will work if your Galaxy phone has a fingerprint reader like the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, Galaxy S6 and others. The Samsung Flow app, in theory, allows you to unlock a PC with just a tap of that fingerprint scanner. Keep in mind that this new feature for Samsung Flow won’t work with the many older desktops and laptops with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 installed. However, this will certainly be a big plus for business and enterprise PC owners who want both a quick and safe way to unlock their Windows 10 PC, especially if their hardware does not support Microsoft’s own Windows Hello biometric security features.

That update is scheduled to be released sometime in early April. That’s also in line with when Microsoft is supposed to release the next major free update to Windows 10, also known as the Creators Update.

In addition to unlocking your PC with the app, Samsung Flow will also allow compatible Galaxy phones to enable its mobile hotspot so a Windows 10 PC can stay connected on the road via its Wi-Fi hardware. The app will also let PC owners check and reply to any of their phone’s notifications. Finally, the app should let Samsung Flow users transfer content and activity between the phone and PC, although it may not be supported for some apps.

It isn't clear why Windows has enabled Samsung to expand Flow's device to unlock to every computer. The company's technology is based on Microsoft's Windows Hello Companion Device Framework which lets third-party products integrate with Windows' security systems. It's also used by smartwatches and ID cards to let you log in to your PC using specialized mechanisms.

Samsung Flow integrates with the Companion Device Framework to detect unlock attempts on your phone. When you need to login to Windows, you're prompted to scan your fingerprint on your compatible Samsung device. For the system to work, the Flow app has to be installed on your PC and Bluetooth turned on. On the phone, both Bluetooth and NFC are required.

Microsoft has previously discussed launching its own system to let you unlock Windows with your phone. Remote unlocks were billed as one of the key features of its new Microsoft Authenticator app, available for iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile. The functionality still isn't available, though making Samsung's solution more useful. It's likely Microsoft will finally implement native Bluetooth unlocking in the future, letting you sign-in by tapping a prompt on your phone.

As well as letting you unlock your PC with your fingerprint, Samsung Flow makes it much easier to manage your phone from your computer. You can transfer media and active content between either device or mobile notifications to your PC. Microsoft does offer a built-in solution for the latter functionality but it requires the Cortana Android app to be installed first.

With the Windows 10 Creators Update now expected to arrive in less than two months, Samsung Galaxy owners don't have to wait much longer to wait to utilize Flow's remote unlocking feature. It's thought Samsung may detail the revised app at its upcoming Mobile World Congress announcement in Barcelona this month.

The story behind the story: Samsung’s solution is, as the company says on Google Play, a “neat trick,” but a native solution would be better. Microsoft added that capability with the Anniversary Update’s Windows Hello Companion Device Framework. So far, however, we’ve seen mostly fitness trackers and security devices like the Yubi Key take advantage of the authentication feature. Nevertheless, Microsoft has, on several occasions, talked about using Android and iOS smartphones to unlock your Windows 10 PC—most recently in September during the Microsoft Ignite conference. The company has also been testing PC unlocks with a Windows 10 Mobile authenticator app.

Perhaps the Creators Update will finally bring smartphone unlocks to everyone who has a Bluetooth-enabled PC and phone. If so, that will finally bring Windows 10 up to parity with Chrome OS.