Your smartphone is very important to you, both for your work and for your personal tasks. Your laptop too, because there is nothing that can replace a PC or laptop for typical tasks. What if both important things effectively become one? There is a way. Windows 11 lets you connect your Android phone so you can manage both devices seamlessly. Initially launched for Samsung phones, the Phone Link app on Windows 11 lets you connect any Android phone and sync data between both devices, allowing you to do things like pick and copy photos from your phone and paste them to your PC. , or simply play music on your phone from your PC.
Phone Link is a useful tool and works almost the same as the iPhone and Mac. Apple’s ecosystem is so seamless that it speeds up work, especially when you’re dealing with a lot of phone calls, texts, and – dare I say – photos at work. With Phone Link, Microsoft has tried to emulate that experience, and it’s quite useful. While Samsung devices get all the features of the Phone Link app, other Android phones get all the essentials and are enough to get your job done. You can view and reply to text messages, make and receive calls, open and reply to notifications, and browse your phone’s gallery.
Here’s how to use an Android phone on a Windows 11 PC
Your Windows 11 PC comes preloaded with the Phone Link app so you don’t have to download it anywhere. Just click on the magnifying glass icon on the taskbar and search for the Phone Link app. Open it. The app tells you how to connect your phone to the app. It’s largely the same process for all phones, but Samsung phones are easy to pair with the app.
Essentially, the app displays a QR code, which is scanned and which takes you on your phone to the Phone Link app in the Google Play Store. You need to install the app. Give it all the permissions it needs to run. For example, it will ask you to grant the camera access to scan the QR code for the pairing process. Once your phone is paired with the PC, the app will ask you for various permissions. Since this app gives you access to various apps including very sensitive ones like your messages and gallery, there is a myriad of permissions.
After you set up the phone link on both your phone and PC, you can access your messages, calls, gallery and notifications directly on your PC.