When it comes to device interoperability, the world may be Apple’s oyster, but Windows PCs have tricks up their sleeves, too. If you’re looking to connect your phone and PC for a little more flexibility when using them together, Microsoft’s Phone Link app might be what you’re looking for. Phone Link might not be for everyone, though, so here’s a quick look at what Phone Link can do, how to get it all set up and where it might fall short.
What Phone Link does
Microsoft’s Phone Link is basically a window into your phone that can live on your Windows computer. It works with texts, calls, photos and more. For example, you can mirror your phone’s screen on your PC, giving you a full view and simple navigation as if your phone were right there (and it’s especially nice if you have a touchscreen laptop). You can access and view apps naturally. It essentially lets you use your phone via your PC. That’s with Android, anyway. With iPhones, Phone Link is more limited, but still lets you engage with texts, calls and notifications.
The Phone Link software has deep integration with phone and messaging apps, letting you make calls, turn on Do Not Disturb mode, view text threads and respond all within the Phone Link interface. Notifications on your phone are also sent to Phone Link, where you can view, respond to and dismiss them from either device. If your phone is playing audio, there’s even a playback control interface and the option to stream the audio to your computer instead. The program also shows a feed of your photo library and lets you drag and drop photos to quickly transfer them to your PC. A tool called Instant Hotspot quickly turns on your phone’s hotspot feature and links your PC to it.
Some of the interoperability works in reverse, too. From the app on your phone, you get a few more options. You can lock your PC, choose files to send, view clipboard content and find files sent to your phone from your PC. Sending said files is as simple as right-clicking on them on your PC and selecting “Send to My Phone” from the drop-down menu. Files sent from your PC will show up in the “Received files” section in the Link to Windows app.
There’s also a phone finder feature that will let you play a sound on your phone for 20 seconds in case you’ve lost it in the couch.
If your phone ever disconnects from your PC, you can quickly reconnect with a click inside the Windows program.
How to set up Phone Link and enable its full capabilities
If you’re setting up a new Windows PC, you’ll likely be prompted to activate Phone Link during the setup process. Otherwise, you can begin it yourself by opening the Phone Link program on your PC. It’s available on Windows 11 and recent versions of Windows 10.
Phone Link will ask you which type of device you want to use, Android or iPhone, then present you with a QR code to scan with your phone to get the correct Link to Windows app on your device. You can also download the apps manually (Android/iOS).
You’ll need to log into the same Microsoft account in this app as you do on your Windows PC. Then you can begin the pairing process, during which your PC will display a code you’ll need to enter on your phone. Naturally, a tool like this requires quite a bit of access to your phone’s data, and the Links to Windows app will ask for a ton of permissions. Some features may still work without all of these permissions, but many won’t.
Once you’ve granted the permissions, you’ll be up and running. However, there are quite a few more things you’ll need to enable to get all the features. For instance, if you want to be able to make phone calls from your PC, you’ll also need to go through the process of pairing your phone and computer with Bluetooth. The Windows program can help facilitate this, but if it fails (as Bluetooth often does), you’ll need to manually pair them.
There are some additional capabilities hidden away. To ensure all those features are enabled, in Windows, go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices > Manage devices, then enable all the toggles for your paired phone.
There are additional Bluetooth settings you’ll need for full support.
While the app prefers operating on the same Wi-Fi network as your PC, and that setup will likely provide the ideal performance, you also have the option to use your phone’s cellular data for truly remote access. This way you’ll still be able to access calls, text and photos no matter where you’ve left your phone.
On the right, an Android device screen mirrored on a PC.
Related, in the top-right corner of the Phone Link app, there’s a three-dot menu that includes the “Instant Hotspot” option, which turns on your phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot and connects to it. Note, though, that the first use of this requires authorization on your phone.
You can also allow your computer to use your phone’s main camera or selfie cam as a webcam by opening up the Camera app on your PC and selecting your phone as the device you want to use.
Some limitations of Phone Link
While there’s quite a lot that the Phone Link app can do, it’s not without its wrinkles.
For one: all those permissions. Granting an app access to so much data never feels good. If you’re using an Android phone, you’re already giving plenty of data to Google. If you’re using a Windows PC, you’re giving plenty of different data to Microsoft. With Phone Link, you’re crossing the streams a bit. If you just want the texting capabilities, it’s much quicker and simpler to use Messages for web in your browser and link it back to your phone’s Messages app. This version of Messages shows conversations with chat reactions properly, whereas Phone Link can display them differently (it lacked reaction bubbles in my testing). My editor noted that Phone Link also displayed spam texts even when his phone had blocked them. I found the same behavior. So that’s… cool.
There’s still plenty about Phone Link that isn’t quite perfect. While accessing texts and calls is mostly seamless, accessing other apps and information tends to rely on screen mirroring. Every time you want to start a screen mirroring session, you’ll need to take out your phone and provide permission. For instance, opening Gmail on Phone Link required me to turn to my phone again, unlock it and grant screen mirroring permission.
An example of a Phone Link pop-up request.
That screen mirroring isn’t always 1:1, either, as I found I could browse my home screen and launch apps, but couldn’t access the notifications shade or quick settings panel. Admittedly, the former point is rather moot since my notifications were otherwise available in the Phone Link program on my computer. It’s also a bit of a subpar experience, as the visual fidelity and refresh rate aren’t going to match your phone’s display.
If your phone isn’t on the same Wi-Fi network as your PC, many things are degraded. Screen mirroring is slower and laggier. The webcam feature failed to establish a connection for me. While transferring photos to the PC still worked, it took more time, needing a moment to fully cache the file first and therefore generally failed on every first attempt to move the file to my desktop. Even when both devices are on the same network, you can only transfer photos one by one — no bulk selection.
While Phone Link is capable of a lot, many of its features can be replicated without using it. Apps like DroidCam offer similar webcam capabilities. The Messages browser app works just as well for texting. A USB cable still proves superior for quickly transferring large amounts of photos, and emailing a few photos to yourself or downloading from Photos on the web is only marginally less convenient. The usual way of creating a Wi-Fi hotspot takes just a few clicks. Quick control of audio and triaging notifications is still far better managed on a smartwatch (at least in my opinion).
So yes, Phone Link removes some friction here and there. It’s especially handy for iPhone users who want access to calls, texts and notifications on a Windows PC. But it all comes at the cost of more data sharing, some setup effort and lots of additional permissions. Is that worth it? Maybe, but it really depends on how much you share between your phone and computer during the day.
