Quick Links
While Phone Link works with both Android and iOS devices, some of its standout features are exclusive to Samsung Galaxy phones, offering better integration and productivity enhancements. So, if you have a Samsung phone, make sure you utilize these features.
1Cross-Device Copy and Paste
Cross-device copy and paste lets you share your phone and computer’s clipboards for the most recently copied items, such as text, pictures, and URLs. It’s a handy feature when you want to copy a URL or a text block between devices instantly.
Cross-device copy and paste in Phone Link is limited to Samsung devices running One UI 2.1 or above. To enable it, pair your compatible Samsung phone with the Phone Link app, then activate the option inSettings.
In the Phone Link app, click theGearicon in the top right corner to openSettings. Then, open theFeaturestab. In theAdditional settingssection, toggle onCross-device copy and paste. The recently copied items from your Windows PC will be accessible on your Samsung phone and vice versa.
Those with a non-Samsung device can use third-party apps like Clipt tosync the clipboard across Android and Windows PC.
2Drag-and-Drop File Transfer
Another Samsung-exclusive Phone Link feature is the ability to transfer files between your PC and smartphone with a simple drag-and-drop gesture. For instance, when mirroring your phone (which we’ll cover in a bit), you may drag and drop photos from your phone’s Gallery app onto your desktop.
Dragging a file from your Windows PC to a Samsung device works much the same way; you may drag and drop a file into the mirroring window, and your phone will store it in the My Files app.
3RCS Messaging
Phone Link makes it easy to send and receive text messages directly from the desktop. It even lets youuse iMessage on Windows. However, Samsung users also get support forRich Communication Service (RCS) messagingon Phone Link.
With RCS enabled, you can send and receive more interactive messages similar to instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. You can respond to text with emojis and send audio messages, videos, and images.
RCS messaging in Phone Link is only supported when Samsung Messages is the default messaging app on your phone. While RCS messaging also supports read recipient and typing indicators, Phone Link does not yet support them.
4Instant Hotspot
While you canshare your phone’s internet connection with a PC via tethering, Instant Hotspot further simplifies this process by allowing you to turn on your Samsung device’s hotspot directly from your computer.
To set up Instant Hotspot, launch Phone Link, and click theGearicon at the top right corner to accessSettings. Then, open theFeaturestab in the left pane. Scroll down to theAdditional Settingssection and clickSetup Instant Hotspot. In the Mobile hotspot permissions dialog, clickSend notifications.
On your Samsung phone, tapAllow. Once done, return to your PC, click thenetwork iconin the taskbar, and select the>icon next to the Wi-Fi quick setting to view the list of available networks. Select your mobile hotspot, then clickConnectto turn on the hotspot and connect to your phone’s Wi-Fi network.
Like phone mirroring, some OnePlus devices also support the Instant Hotspot feature. However, it’s still primarily available only on Samsung phones.
5Phone Mirroring
Phone screen is a Phone Link feature that allows you to mirror your phone’s screen onto your PC. When connected, you can remotely access and interact with apps from your phone, offering a great way to multitask directly from your PC.
While phone mirroring is primarily available on Samsung phones, some Android manufacturers also support it on select models. Popular Samsung devices with phone mirroring include the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy S21, and newer models, as well as low-end models like the Galaxy A51 and later.
Additionally, some devices from brands like Huawei, OnePlus, and Asus come pre-installed withLink to Device, enabling phone mirroring functionality on a limited range of their devices. You can check the complete list of Phone screen-supported devices onMicrosoft’s support page.
These are some of the Windows Phone Link features that are mainly available only for Samsung Galaxy phones. However, I hope Microsoft extends these features to all Android phones to help improve the Android-Windows integration Google’s ecosystem currently lacks.
