Phone Link for iOS has some limitations like limited messaging features.
American tech giant Microsoft announced on Wednesday a global rollout of Phone Link for iOS to all Windows 11 customers. The company announced the feature in February but it is now being introduced to iPhone users, allowing them to access their messages, calls, contacts, etc directly on their Windows PC.
“We know that being able to effortlessly connect to friends and family during important times is critical so we’ve taken a conservative approach to launching this update,” Microsoft said in the Windows Experience blog. “To ensure the highest quality experience for our users, we asked our Windows Insiders to engage and provide feedback during the preview phase. We’ve heard positive feedback such as “this is exactly what I’ve been hoping for on my Windows PC.”
The company has started to gradually roll out the feature to its global iPhone customer base in 39 languages across 85 markets. Microsoft expects that all iPhone users will be able to access Phone Link by mid-May. It seems like with Phone Link users can create a Windows/iOS ecosystem. The Phone Link app has been available to Android users for some time.
Meanwhile, once Phone Link is enabled on the Windows PC for iOS, it will provide support for making and taking calls, sending and receiving messages, and accessing contacts. Users will get notifications on their Windows PC and they can choose which action they want to take. The feature will further enable iPhone users to access their photos on a Windows computer.
Since the feature has just started rolling out for iPhones, users will gradually start seeing it on their PCs over the next few weeks. To get started, search for “Phone Link” on the Windows taskbar. Users then need to select between Android and iPhone and scan the QR code to complete the setup. iPhone users will also have to grant permissions on their phone’s Bluetooth settings that will enable notifications and access to their contacts on the Windows PC.
It is noteworthy that Phone Link for iOS comes with some requirements like an iPhone with iOS 14 or higher, a Windows 11 device, Bluetooth connection, and the latest version of the Phone Link app. Currently, the feature is not available for iPadOS or macOS.
Phone Link for iOS has some limitations like limited messaging features including no support for image or video sharing and group messaging. Additionally, messages are session based and will only come through when the phone is connected to the Windows PC.
