After months of testing with Insiders, Microsoft is finally rolling out one of the biggest updates to Phone Link . The update brings a new, more accessible panel to the Start menu, allowing users to interact directly with their phones without leaving the desktop.
- Windows 11 will bring Phone Link directly to the Start menu
Make Phone Link connection even stronger
While there are some serious competitors for the best phone companion app on Windows, Microsoft Phone Link continues to be one of the best you can rely on. Sure, KDE Connect has its benefits and is incredibly easy to set up, but Phone Link is built into Windows PCs, which is a big plus for many.
Now, with the addition of the Phone Link panel to the Start menu, it's easier to interact with incoming messages, files, and more. You can get a quick look at the new panel in action in the following ad from Microsoft.
The new panel is docked to the right of the Start menu and displays the current status of your device. Items displayed on the panel include your phone's current battery life along with recent calls and messages — not to mention easy access to your device's photo library.
While the panel doesn't display recent notifications directly on the panel, you can easily customize them to show up in the lower-right corner of your screen—where the rest of your Windows notifications appear.
Slow rollout
Like most major feature changes Microsoft introduces to Windows, the new Phone Link dashboard is rolling out slowly to Windows users in a controlled but stable release. It was spotted on PCs running Windows 11 Version 26100.4061, but it officially rolled out to the stable branch a few days ago. If you haven't already, check your Windows Updates manually and install any available updates.
Even if you don't get the console in those updates, running the latest version of Windows will ensure you're protected from any current exploits.
As noted above, Microsoft has been testing this feature for months in Windows Insider builds, including the Beta and Dev channels, so it's exciting to finally see it released to the stable branch. If you haven't set up Phone Link and have an Android phone, you should give it a try, as it makes working between devices much easier.
While Phone Link works best with Samsung phones—there are even some Samsung-exclusive features available in Phone Link—the app is great for connecting any Android device to your PC. It also works with iPhones, although not as well as it does with Android phones.
Considering Microsoft continues to update and add new features to the app, it's no surprise that many people still feel Phone Link is the only app you need to connect your phone to Windows.