Microsoft provides interoperability between Windows 11 PCs and iPhones via its Phone Link program. The preview has started rolling out to people in one of the three internal channels (Opens in a new tab), who will be able to pair their iPhones with their computer via Bluetooth. Phone Link will have basic iOS support for calls, messages, and contacts, he says Microsoft (Opens in a new tab).
The feature is similar to the upcoming Intel Unison app, which will allow iPhones to sync with Windows. Phone Link for iPhone is currently only available to those in the Windows Insider Program. It is not clear when it will be available to all Windows users. But if this feature works as advertised, then it should be a boon for those who work on Windows PCs and own an iPhone.
Here’s everything you need to know about Phone Link for iOS.
what do you need
To get started, you’ll need a PC or laptop that supports Windows 11. You’ll also need to sign up for the Insider Program. Anyone can sign up for the free program via Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
Microsoft started this preview with a small percentage of Insiders, which means not all Insiders will see the preview right away. Preview availability will increase to more Insiders over time. The preview will require Phone Link app version 1.23012.169.0 and later, but the preview itself is cloud controlled.
And of course, you’ll need an iPhone. Microsoft doesn’t specifically mention this, but it’s reasonable to assume that you’ll need iOS 16.3.1, which is the latest version of the phone’s operating system at the time of writing.
How it works
We haven’t tested this feature ourselves yet, but Microsoft details the steps in the blog post linked above.
If you’re an Insider receiving the iOS Phone Link preview, you’ll see the option to choose your iPhone on the Phone Link homepage. You can also select your Android device this way. If you see a disabled iPhone button with a “coming soon” message, that means you’re not in Preview yet.
After selecting “iPhone”, you will be directed to follow a series of steps that will guide you to pair your iPhone and PC via Bluetooth. This will start after scanning the QR code displayed on the screen. Then, it will go through the confirmation steps to confirm that the phone and PC are in range.
When this happens, you will be asked to confirm that the code in Phone Link matches the code displayed on your iPhone. After pairing is complete, you will then be asked to grant a set of permissions to sync your content to Phone Link.
Finally, Phone Link will give you permissions on your iPhone in your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings. Microsoft says this last part is an important step in getting notifications and contacts to display properly in Phone Link from your iPhone.
Next, Phone Link will provide basic iOS support for calls, messages, and contacts. Note that Phone Link does not support replying to group messages or ending media in messages.
prospects
We’re not sure when Phone Link for iPhone will be available to people outside of the Windows Insider Program. But when it does arrive, it should be a nice and useful feature for those of us who own iPhones and Windows devices.
We’ll bring you a full report on how this feature works after we’ve had a chance to test it. Stay tuned!
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