Motorola's new Smart Connect features are a super practical use of AI

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Sometimes simple AI is the best AI

Motorola Razr Plus 2024.
(Image credit: Future)

MWC can be a little too focused on fun concepts over genuinely useful innovation. But good news — Motorola and Lenovo are here to save the day.

Motorola's Moto AI and Smart Connect features are teaming up in a new update that promises to make Moto and Lenovo devices, plus Windows PCs, work together more effectively than ever. And considering you could already use Smart Connect to run your Motorola phone's apps on Windows and swap files between them, that's a big claim.

Motorola Smart Connect on tablet, phone and laptop

(Image credit: Motorola)

First off, you can now use Moto AI to cast files or videos to another screen via voice commands. It looks to be much simpler to do than opening a specific casting menu, which should make this feature much more accessible in a pinch.

Motorola Smart Connect laptop app

(Image credit: Motorola)

A further addition is AI Search, a natural language search tool to find saved files on the Yoga Tab Plus (16GB). It's a shame that this feature seems to be limited only to this model, as search tools like this can be invaluable for finding information you know you have somewhere on your device, but also know you couldn't find manually.

Motorola Smart Connect smart search

(Image credit: Motorola)

The last major change is a new dashboard for the Smart Connect mobile app, which shows all of a user's Moto AI-enabled devices, like their phone, PC, or Moto Tag tracker or Moto Buds earbuds, and lets you adjust their settings from a single location.

Motorola Smart Connect phone app

(Image credit: Motorola)

Motorola says that this is available for all Android users via a new third-party integration option. Moto doesn't go into detail on this, but we'd assume this means that if you use Moto accessories with a non-Moto device, you'll still be able to use at least some of these features.

The new generation of Smart Connect can be used on any Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. The mobile side will work on select Motorola devices and Lenovo tablets, though these haven't been specified. Downloads will be available via the Microsoft Store or Google Play Store "in the coming weeks."

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Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

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