Tag: Phone Link

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Microsoft begins rolling out support for iPhone in its Phone Link app

The latest feature coming to Microsoft’s Phone Link app is iPhone support. The new Windows 11 app update is rolling out globally, according to Microsoft, and will be available for all PC users by the middle of May.

With the update, iPhone users can access phone calls, notifications, and iMessage threads directly on their PCs. While it’s a step in the right direction for cross-platform compatibility, the implementation is limited.

iMessage support is limited to one-on-one conversations, so don’t expect to participate in green bubble group chats from your laptop. Other functionality, like quick camera roll access, is only available for Android phones.

Microsoft has been slowly but steadily providing updates to Phone Link, including an interface redesign and an ‘Instant Hotspot’ feature last year.

The Phone Link app is available in the Microsoft Store and works on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update adds Bing Chat to the taskbar

Microsoft has unveiled its next big Windows 11 update, chock full of new features and capabilities. However, the star of the show is Bing.

If it weren’t for the fact that Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat dominated tech headlines for the last two weeks, I’d be shocked that Bing would be the standout addition to Windows 11. This is the world we live in now. In a blog post about the new Windows 11 update, Panos Panay, chief product officer, outlined that the Windows 11 taskbar would now include access to the new Bing in the search bar.

Bing Chat on the Windows 11 taskbar | Image credit: Microsoft

Microsoft didn’t say much more about Bing Chat in Windows 11, but it did explain that those in the Bing preview will have access after installing the new Windows 11 update. If you haven’t joined the waitlist for the Bing preview, you can learn more about how to do so here.

Beyond Bing

Phone Link for iOS | Image credit: Microsoft

Of course, Bing was one of many announcements. Microsoft also shared that Windows 11 would get a preview of Phone Link for iOS. Phone Link, for those unfamiliar, is a Windows feature for linking various smartphone features, such as access to messaging, apps on your phone, sharing photos and videos, and more. The iOS version of Phone Link will allow sending and receiving iMessages, as reported by The Verge.

So far, Phone Link has only really worked with Android, and Samsung phones getting the most feature support. It’s great to see Phone Link expanding to include iPhone. I suspect this was sped along by competition from the launch of Intel Unison, a similar phone-to-PC connection software that does support iPhones. Those interested in trying the Phone Link for iOS preview can learn more here.

Revamped touch taskbar | Image credit: Microsoft

Microsoft also highlighted recent Phone Link improvements for Android users, specifically mentioning the ability to activate your Samsung phone’s hotspot with a click from your PC, or the ‘Recent Websites’ feature that can transfer your browsing sessions from your Samsung phone to your Windows PC.

Microsoft says it updated Windows Studio Effects to make it easier to access the features from the taskbar. Along with that, Microsoft revamped the ‘Chat’ feature of the Windows 11 taskbar with a video preview to help streamline the process of jumping into a video call.

Snipping Tool will let you record your screen

Snipping Tool with screen recording capabilities | Image credit: Microsoft

Moreover, Microsoft added a revamped ‘Quick Assist’ app that should make it easier for the tech-savvy among you to help troubleshoot friends’ and family members’ Windows woes. Quick Assist includes the ability to switch between screen sharing and full control during a session, as well as a new “laser pointer” people can use to highlight icons, menus and more.

Perhaps one of the other exciting additions — at least for me — is that the Snipping Tool will now be able to record an area of the screen. This is a huge bonus as someone who often wants to record part of my screen to make a GIF for a story I’m working on.

Windows 11 Energy recommendations | Image credit: Microsoft

Windows 11 is getting new energy-saving features too. In the Settings menu under System > Power & Battery, there’s an ‘Energy recommendations’ screen that suggests different settings people can tweak to improve energy use.

Wrapping things up, Microsoft expanded Windows 11’s Widgets system with new options from Phone Link, Xbox Game Pass and partners like Meta and Spotify, there’s an improved touchscreen mode with a minimized taskbar, Notepad now has tabs, and there are new accessibility options in the Windows 11 update.

You can check out everything new in Windows 11 here.

Update 2023/02/28 at 9:04am ET: Added a sentence about Phone Link for iOS supporting iMessage.

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Mobile Syrup

Windows 11’s Phone Link app gets redesigned interface and spotlight for notifications

Microsoft has taken the Your Phone app and given it a refresh in the form of a UI overhaul and new features. Moving forward, the app is now called Phone Link and puts notifications out front for added exposure.

The tech giant announced the next step in the evolution of the Your Phone app. Phone Link will now be taking the mantle. It will still be a crucial tool to access photos, texts, and other important features on your computer.

This tool was first introduced three years ago and the overhaul comes at a time when the Phone Link app needed to reflect Windows 11. The design changes mean that the app features Windows 11’s colour pallet. The app now features the rounded corners of Windows 11, updated iconography, and overall aesthetic.

Microsoft has also added the ability to filter notifications on your Windows PC and receive phone calls when your device is charging elsewhere or out of reach. Android mobile apps are accessible on PC now too.

The most significant addition to the Phone Link app is how notifications are upfront for the user’s benefit. Thanks to this change, it should be much easier to see alerts and notifications pop up throughout the day. Tabbed notifications are also in the update. This ensures users have access to manage calls, apps, messages and photos.

In addition, the next Windows 11 update brings the ability to set up Phone Link during the initial set-up of a PC. This feature utilizes a QR code that users can scan with their device and streamline that process.

Windows 11 has been progressively bridging the gap between PC and Android. The improvements made and subsequent changes to the Phone Link app only strengthen that notion. The improvements Microsoft is bringing to the table should only enhance multitasking and update the ways users can share media between devices.

The release of the Phone Link app comes hand-in-hand with the Link to Windows app on Android. This was formerly known as the Your Phone Companion and is an important facet between a PC and a smartphone.

Via: Engadget

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Stadia Phone Link allows you to use your phone as a Stadia controller

You can now use your mobile phone as a controller for Stadia when playing games on a TV.

At launch, Google’s Stadia game streaming platform only worked with the official Stadia Controller. Then came support for third-party gamepads, like the PlayStation and Xbox controllers. Now, Stadia has launched a new feature called ‘Phone Link’ that allows Android and iOS devices to double as a touchscreen gamepad when playing Stadia on the Google TV, Android TV or the Chromecast Ultra.

As noted by 9to5Google, Phone Link also allows your smartphone to act as a bridge between unsupported controllers and your TV. You can use Phone Link to connect third-party controllers to your smartphone, which then transmits the signal to your TV, allowing you to use a controller that traditionally can’t connect to your TV through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This adds a little bit of response time delay and lag, but it’s better than having no third-party controller support at all.

Follow the steps below to connect your smartphone to a Stadia supported Android/Google TV and use it as a controller:

  • Launch the Stadia app on your TV
  • Launch the Stadia app on your smartphone
  • Tap the controller prompt and follow the instruction on the screen

Follow the steps below to connect your smartphone to Chromecast Ultra and use it as a controller:

  • Select the input to which your Chromecast Ultra is connected to your TV
  • A linking code should be visible on the Chromecast’s ambient mode screen.
  • Launch the Stadia app on your phone
  • Select the controller icon
  • Then, select Phone Touch Gamepad
  • Then choose Play on TV
  • Enter the linking code, and you’re good to go

Source: Stadia Via: 9to5Google