Windows 11’s best apps get better at finding your smartphone
Microsoft is working on an update to its Phone Link app that allows smartphones to be controlled by adding the search bar to Windows 11 and fixing some bugs.
Available on Microsoft Store (opens in new tab) As well as a companion app on the Google Play Store (opens in new tab)The app connects to your Android smartphone, where you can access photos, make and receive calls, drag and drop files, send and receive messages on Windows 11.
Despite Phone Link getting a facelift and a new name at the start of the year, Microsoft is focusing on other apps in the meantime to give them major improvements like Paint and Windows Media Player. However, Phone Link is finally getting some attention again with a new search bar.
This will allow you to go through your messages with a quick search, without having to scroll through potentially hundreds of posts. Still, while this new feature is welcome, Phone Link could lay the groundwork for something more exciting, especially with the Android app being made available on the Microsoft Store, thanks to Amazon.
Analysis: Let’s see if it’s bigger than this
Granted, it’s not Microsoft’s best name, but it has had a track record of bad names with other products over the years. But Phone Link is one of the best apps to come out of the company in recent years, and it could lay the groundwork for using more Android apps on your PC.
The parts are all there: You can already download and run some Android apps on Windows 11, and you can manage your phone’s content via Phone Link. The next step should of course be to run your apps through your phone.
This way, for example, you can play a game on your Pixel 6, and you can play it on your PC, thanks to Phone Link on Windows 11. Hints suggest that Microsoft plans to do something like this, but it has also been known to throw some curveballs.
Whatever the company decides, Phone Link is still a worthy app to consider if you have an Android phone, and though there may be small improvements, it’s still a great app to build on. .
via windows latest (opens in new tab)