The big picture: Microsoft wants you to use the Phone Link app on Windows, and once enabled, the quickest way to access it is through the running processes menu on the taskbar, but Windows is currently working on integrating it directly into the Start menu as a permanent sidebar feature.
As seen in the screenshot above, the Start menu gives you direct access to the most basic functions of your phone, including messages, calls, photos, and even checking your phone’s battery status and connection.
Microsoft is also touting a new integrated “continuity” experience, highlighting that you can pick up your most recent activity on your phone right where you left off, right from the Start menu.
The feature is currently limited to Android phones, but support for Apple iOS is planned, and while there’s no word on an exact timeline, it’s expected to arrive soon.
To participate today, you must be running Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3790 or later in the Beta channel, and your Phone Link app must be version 1.24052.124.0 or later, with Microsoft saying it will expand to other Insider channels in the future.
A big complaint about new Windows 11 builds is all the clutter they’ve introduced, like new taskbar icons that nobody asked for and ads that appear in all the wrong places (not that there’s ever a right place for them).
A big complaint about the new Windows 11 build is the clutter it introduces, like new taskbar icons that nobody asked for and ads that appear in all the wrong places (not that there’s really a right place for them). Thankfully, anyone worried about this feature taking over their Start menu can now do so.[設定]>[個人用設定]>[スタート]You can disable it with
Microsoft has been busy leveling up Phone Link lately. This week, the company introduced a handy “Text Scan” feature to the app, which is essentially an optical character recognition (OCR) tool that lets users extract text from images in their Android phone’s gallery and bring it straight to their PC.
With Phone Link, Microsoft seems to be following Apple’s lead and aiming for a seamless connection between macOS and iPhone. It’s also likely that a lot of the great stuff in this feature is the result of Microsoft and Samsung working together to make the experience smoother between Windows 11 and Samsung devices. The company expanded support to other Android phones and even iPhones last year.