Tushar Mehta / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft is reportedly working to integrate its phone more deeply into Windows 11 by improving and expanding Phone Link experiences.
- One change is a new dedicated side menu for smartphones that provides an overview of your phone’s status, as well as toggles features like do not disturb and vibrate mode.
- The company is also said to be working on a new dedicated messaging app that will exist as a standalone experience.
Microsoft has long been working on ways to bring Windows and your Android phone more together. In 2018, the company launched the Your Phone and Your Phone Companion apps, which allow you to bring certain capabilities and content from your phone to your PC. These applications were later renamed Phone Link and Link to Windows. A new report says that Microsoft is now exploring ways to expand and improve Phone Link to make these experiences feel more native to its own operating system.
According Windows CenterMicrosoft is discussing several updates, one of which will improve the Phone Companion found in Home. It is reported that Phone Companion will show more recent activities and you will not need to open Phone Link to review them. Additionally, you’ll be able to hover over these activities to get more information, such as viewing a full message.
The next change that could come is a new dedicated pop-up for smartphones. You’ll reportedly see a phone icon in the taskbar, like in the mockup above, when your phone is connected. Clicking the icon will open a side menu containing an overview of your phone’s status, along with buttons to toggle certain functions. Some of the options listed by the media are do not disturb, vibrate mode, and find phone. It looks like you’ll also be able to transfer files to your phone by dragging them onto the phone icon.
Another update mentioned is an improvement to clipboard history syncing. Right now, you can sync your clipboard between your phone and your PC, but only the last thing you copied is remembered. Microsoft is said to be working on an improvement that would sync the entire clipboard history between the two devices.
The final update revealed in this report describes a new dedicated Messages app. There is already a messaging feature in the Phone Link app. However, the new Messages app would be a standalone app that you can pin and access from the Start menu.
At the moment, sources say these features are being prototyped internally. There is a chance that they will change to some extent before users get their hands on them. Microsoft will also likely seek feedback from its Insider community ahead of launch.
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