Microsoft to Revamp Phone Link App With Better Smartphone Integration on Windows 11: Report

Microsoft has released various updates for the Phone Link app in the past, including a dedicated panel in the Start menu. The app aims to offer an easy way for users to connect their smartphone to their Windows device. It allows users to check their messages and attend and initiate calls directly from their desktop, eliminating the need for them to open their handset for it. Now, the tech giant is said to be planning to bring various improvements and new features to the phone companion app to offer a more deeply integrated user experience.

Phone Link App Upcoming Features, Improvements (Expected)

Citing people with knowledge of the matter, Windows Central reports that the US-based tech giant is planning to bring new features to the standalone Phone Link app for a deeply integrated user experience within Windows 11. Microsoft is reportedly working on an update that will display “more recent activities” from the user's connected handset within the Start menu panel.

Users will reportedly be able to scroll through the list from the Start menu panel, eliminating the need for them to open the Phone Link app. The functionality might let Windows 11 users hover the pointer over specific recent activities to view more information about them, including messages and attached images.

Microsoft might introduce a dedicated message window for the Phone Link
Photo Credit: Windows Central

A dedicated window for messages seeded from the phone via the Phone Link app is also reportedly being developed by Microsoft. Said to be in the testing phase, the messages window could appear on the Taskbar in the system tray in the bottom-right corner. Moreover, the system tray will reportedly show a handset's icon when a user's phone is connected to the Windows 11 device via the Phone Link app.

Users will be able to see an overview of their connected smartphone by simply clicking on the phone icon, the report added. It is said to feature toggles for Do Not Disturb and Vibrate modes, along with a dedicated find phone button, allowing users to change these settings from the desktop. The report further highlights that users will be able to send files directly to their handsets by dragging them to the phone icon.

Apple offers the Universal Clipboard functionality, allowing users to copy and paste text between Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Microsoft is reportedly planning to go a step further to offer a dedicated Clipboard history feature for the user's connected handset and desktop. It is said to provide a synced list of previously copied items.

While Microsoft has yet to confirm these details, the report highlights that Microsoft is currently exploring and prototyping these features internally. The tech giant is reportedly planning to gather internal feedback before pushing the features to Windows 11 devices.