If you ask Apple users why they continue to buy Apple products, the answer will almost always come down to one word: “ecosystem.” He seamless integration between Apple devices It’s really impressive and, for many people, it’s the main reason why using anything else feels like a compromise.
But this type of cross-device experience is not exclusive to Apple. They just packaged these features particularly well. If you already use Windows and Android, you don’t need to switch to an Apple-only setup to get similar ecosystem functionality; You just need to install and configure a few apps.
This is my Windows, Pixel and Mi Pad ecosystem
Three brands: zero concessions
My setup was based on what I truly believe are the best devices in each category, not brand loyalty.
I use a Windows PC because a Mac, at the same price, simply can’t compete on hardware. My system has a Ryzen 5 5600G, an RTX 3060 with 12 GB of VRAM and 32 GB of RAM; try to get that kind of setup from Apple without spending a small fortune. Windows also gives me more flexibility for the type of work I do and I run it in a multiboot configuration. along with some Linux distributions whenever you want more privacy and customization.
Next, I use a Pixel 10 because, frankly, I think it’s a better phone than the iPhone for my needs. The camera is excellent, the software is clean, but most importantly it offers the the best context-based voice typing experience—All with local processing on the device. It really does typing on a nice small screen.
Finally, there is the My Pad 5. It’s a budget Android tablet priced below the regular iPad, but it still manages to ship with one of the best LCD screens I’ve personally used, along with 256GB of storage and a flagship-class Snapdragon 860 processor. Released in 2021, it’s around five years old at the time of writing, but still feels snappy and responsive. Technically it stopped receiving updates, but I was able to give it new life using custom ROMs.
You’ll get all the features I mention here on almost any Android phone or tablet. A Pixel or Mi Pad is not strictly necessary. As long as it runs Android it will work.
That being said, here are the five apps I use to replicate all of my favorite Apple ecosystem features in my setup.
KDE connection
The app you’ve probably never heard of does all the heavy lifting
KDE connection It’s the backbone of my setup. It is FOSS (free and open source software) that was originally developed to help Linux and Android devices communicate with each other. Since then, it has also added support for Windows, which is what makes this setup possible for me.
After installing the app, you will need to pair your devices and grant the necessary permissions. Once this is done, KDE Connect automatically handles notification mirroring, clipboard syncing, and even lets you control media playback on one device from the other. Those features alone already cover a lot of what people describe as the magic of the Apple ecosystem, but there are two more features that take it to the next level: remote input and command execution.
Remote input allows me to use my Pixel or Mi Pad 5 as a touchpad to control the cursor on my Windows PC. Alternatively, I can use the mouse and keyboard connected to my PC to control my phone or tablet.
But the most impressive feature is command execution. KDE Connect allows me to remotely execute terminal commands on my Windows PC from my phone or tablet with a single tap. I can use it to launch applications, run scripts, or trigger entire workflows without touching my PC. It gives me a level of automation and control between devices that seems much more powerful than Apple’s ecosystem.
Here is KDE Connect for Android and windows.
Local shipping
Device-independent AirDrop
Local shipping It is my preferred tool for transferring files between devices. It works similarly to AirDrop and offers fast, fully local peer-to-peer transfers with no internet access or account setup required. It’s also completely free, open source, and compatible with Windows, Android, and even Apple devices.
To be fair, KDE Connect also supports file transfers between devices. However, I have run into reliability issues when transferring large files or large batches of files over KDE Connect. In those situations, I usually turn to LocalSend.
Here is LocalSend for Android and windows.
space desk
Turn your Android tablet into an extended touch screen
Spacedesk turns my Mi Pad 5 into a second screen for my Windows PC—The equivalent of Apple’s Sidecar. Once connected, the Mi Pad 5 appears in Windows Display Settings as a secondary monitor. From there, I can choose whether to mirror my main screen or use it as an extended screen. By default, it works over the local network and the connection is generally stable. However, if you notice lags or stutters, you can also switch to a USB connection for a smoother experience.
What I really like about Spacedesk is that it not only turns my tablet into a second screen, it turns it into a second touchscreen. I can use my finger or a stylus to move, resize, or close windows directly from the tablet. That’s a big quality-of-life advantage over Apple’s Sidecar, which doesn’t support general touch input for macOS.
Here is the Windows Spacedesk Driver and the Android client.
Telephone link and Windows link
Turn your Android phone into a Windows webcam
Phone Link on Windows and Link to Windows on Android are Microsoft’s solution for pairing your Android phone with your Windows PC. KDE Connect already covers most of the features I personally use:and does it better—So I don’t depend much on Phone Link. However, there is one thing that KDE Connect cannot do: allow me to use my The Pixel camera as a webcam for my PC.
In the Apple ecosystem, this feature is called Continuity Camera and it’s truly one of the best parts of the iPhone and Mac experience. With Phone Link, I can get a very similar setup on Windows. As long as my Pixel is around, I always have access to a high-quality camera for video calls.
Here is the Link to Windows Android app. Phone Link comes built into Windows.
next cloud
Create your own self-hosted iCloud, without monthly subscriptions
next cloud It’s basically my version of iCloud. It’s a FOSS self-hosted cloud platform that handles file syncing between devices, so everything I save can be accessed from my PC, tablet and phone. But it goes beyond simple file synchronization. Nextcloud can also function as a cloud calendar, note-taking app, and even a lightweight office suite with support for document and spreadsheet editing. In that sense, it’s actually closer to Google Drive than iCloud.
Unlike iCloud and Google Drive, Nextcloud doesn’t give you additional storage; it simply makes your current storage accessible to your other devices through a local (or remote) grid. That said, since storage prices outside of Apple’s ecosystem aren’t that expensive, I don’t really mind the additional cost, especially since it’s a one-time thing and not an ongoing subscription.
- Storage capacity
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4TB
- Brand
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seagate
A great combination of price and performance, the Seagate IronWolf is a great choice for most NAS users. With a three-year warranty, three years of data recovery services included with purchase, and a workload of 180TB of data writes per year, this drive can handle just about anything you throw at it.
To use Nextcloud, you will need to host it yourself somewhere. I personally run it on myself. DIY NASbut you can also use Docker to host it directly on a Windows PC. The setup process is not particularly long, but it can be a bit technical.
If that seems like too much work, you can use Google Drive as a replacement for iCloud. The important thing is to have some sort of centralized cloud service in your setup, and there are many options depending on how much control you want over where your files are located.
Here is the Installing Nextcloud AIO for Windows and the Nextcloud client app for Android.
I’m not in the Apple ecosystem, but I enjoy all the awesome ecosystem features.
There you have it, my diverse but integrated Windows-Pixel-Mi Pad setup: three devices from three manufacturers, all working together without friction. The only real problem is that none of this comes pre-built like it does in the Apple ecosystem, but you can hardly call that a deal breaker.
Once you know what multi-device features you really want, the most important thing is to find the right apps. Whether it’s clipboard syncing, file transfers, remote input, or using your phone as a webcam, there’s almost always a tool that brings that functionality to your Windows and Android setup.
