Connect on a new level with Link to Windows

With Link to Windows on your Android device and the Your Phone app on your PC, your opportunities are limitless. Seamlessly transfer content between your devices, use your mobile apps right on your PC, and more.

Currently, Link to Windows is available on the Surface Duo and select Samsung devices (in select markets). Here are a few examples of devices with Link to Windows available:

Samsung Galaxy Note9 series

Samsung Galaxy S9 series

Samsung Galaxy Note10 series

Samsung Galaxy Note20 series

Samsung Galaxy S10 series

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Samsung Galaxy S21 series

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro

Setting up Link to Windows on your Surface Duo or Samsung device

You’ll need both your Windows 10 PC and your eligible Android device to be nearby, turned on, and connected to Wi-Fi. The Your Phone app is already installed on your PC if you have the Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later.

In the search box on the taskbar, type your phone and select Your Phone from the results.

Select Android as your phone type, then Continue.

You’ll be asked to sign into your Microsoft account. Make sure to use the same one that you’re signed in with on your Samsung device.

Follow the instructions to finish linking your devices.

On your Surface Duo or Samsung device:

Swipe downwards from the top of your screen to reveal your Android Notification (for Surface Duo) or Quick Access (for Samsung devices) panel.

Tap Link to Windows.

Sign in with the same Microsoft account you’re using on your PC.

When prompted, tap to allow permissions.

The name of your Windows 10 PC will appear below Link to Windows when your devices successfully connect.

If you encounter issues while setting up Link to Windows, our troubleshooting tips may help.

Staying connected while your device is closed or folded

The Your Phone app and all of its features will continue to work as long as your device is turned on and connected to the internet.

Troubleshooting for Link to Windows

How do I check I’m running the latest version of Link to Windows?

Updates will be installed automatically if this option is enabled on your Android device. To ensure a smooth experience we recommend updating to the latest version available. To check manually:

On your Android device:

Go to Settings > Advanced features > Link to Windows.

In the upper right-hand corner, select » . » (More) > About Link to Windows.

If an update is available, you should see a dialog. Tap Update.

Wait for the update to complete successfully, then close and reopen the Your Phone app.

What happened to my Your Phone Companion app icon after upgrading my phone to Android 10?

Following a recent update, you will no longer see the old app icon. Instead you will now see Link to Windows pre-installed on your device. Swipe downward from the top of your screen to reveal your Android Notification panel, then tap Link to Windows.

Alternatively, you can find it by visiting Settings > Advanced Features, or type Link to Windows in the search box in Settings.

I’m having issues with the Your Phone app when using Samsung DeX at the same time

Having both the Your Phone app and DeX open may cause issues with both apps. To ensure the best experience, only have one of these apps open at a time.

How do I update the Your Phone app from the Microsoft Store?

Open the Microsoft Store.

Search for Your Phone.

If an update is available to you, you will see an Update button. Select Update and wait for the update to complete successfully, then select Launch.

How do I update Your Phone Companion-Link to Windows from the Galaxy Store?

To update the app from the Galaxy Store:

Open the Galaxy Store app on your Android device.

In the Galaxy Store, tap the search icon and type “Your Phone Companion – Link to Windows.»

Tap on Your Phone Companion – Link to Windows to open the app listing.

Tap the Update button.

You also need to ensure Link to Windows is updated to the latest version too. To do this:

Go to Settings > Advanced features > Link to Windows

Tap the “…” (More) option

Tap on About Link to Windows.

Tap the Update button. You will be redirected to the Galaxy Store listing for the app. This time you will also see Link to Windows in the app update options. Tap Update.

Wait for the update to complete successfully and restart your Android device. Wait a few minutes, then close and reopen the Your Phone app on your PC.

Note: It can take a few minutes for the updates to be recognized by the app. If the Your Phone app is still in an “update state”, wait a few minutes, then restart your Android device. On your PC, close and reopen the Your Phone app.

Troubleshooting updates in Your Phone and Your Phone Companion — Link to Windows

It can take a few minutes for the updates to be recognized by the app. After you update, if the app is still blocked, restart your Android device. Then, wait a few minutes and close and reopen the Your Phone app.

Check that both your Android device and PC are on Wi-Fi. You will need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to download updates.

How to Sync Your Phone With Windows 10

One of Microsoft’s big pushes with the Fall Creators Update is seamless phone and PC integration. Here’s how to set up Windows 10’s ‘Continue on PC’ feature.

At Build 2017, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, «The user experience is going to span all of your devices. That multi-device experience is what now needs platform capability.»

A big part of this is connecting your smartphone to your PC. Not only does this let you seamlessly move from web browsing on the phone to the Windows 10 PC, but it also enables the Cloud Clipboard, which will let you copy from one device and paste to another.

Since Windows 10 is considered a service rather than a set software products, more cross-device capabilities will be added on the fly. The first to appear is Continue On PC. How does it work? Simple. You’re browsing on your smartphone—on any browser and on either Android or iOS—and you just send the current page to your Windows 10 PC, where it opens automatically to that same page.

Continue on PC is just a taste of the multi-device cloud services promised by what Redmond terms the Microsoft Graph, which EVP for Windows and Devices Terry Myerson describes as “…an intelligent fabric that helps connect dots between people, conversations, projects, and content within the Microsoft Cloud–ensuring experiences flow seamlessly between Windows, iOS, and Android devices.”

Read through the slides to see how you get started with this new world of interconnection. The process is basically identical on Android phones, though I used an iPhone to test the process.

1. Start at Settings

Starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the Settings app gets a new Phone section. Begin by opening the Settings app and clicking on this icon.

How to Link your Android/iPhone to Windows 10

Link Phone to Windows 10: With Windows 10 and your Android/iPhone mobiles, you can now establish a link between them. Why link your phone to Windows 10 and what is the advantage of linking phone to windows 10 and how to do that are the most important questions hovering in the minds of the users. In this article, we will find the answers to the above questions and also check out steps involved in the process of Linking your Android/ iPhone to your Windows 10 operating system.

Jump to:

Why link your Phone to Windows 10?

If you have an Android or iPhone, then you can link them to your Windows 10. There are a lot of advantages. Firstly, your phone and PC will be synced always and that means you will not miss out on any notifications of your phone and also you don’t need to take out your phone every time to check for the notifications. They will appear right on your PC screen. Other than this, Linking your Android or iPhone to Windows 10 comes with a lot of loaded features.

Advantages of linking Phone to Windows 10:

1. Import Photos/Videos: You can now transfer your Images/Videos of your Phone right away from PC without connecting any cable or using any file transfer applications.
2. Never miss a Notification: When your Phone and PC are linked, then you can check out all the messages of your phone from your PC or Laptop itself and hence you don’t need to look out for your phone every time it beeps.
3. Find my Device(Anti-Theft): You can always keep a track of your phone by having the track its location in the real world and this feature will be helpful if you lose your phone.
4. Show Notification Banners: Whenever there is a notification banner on your phone, you will be updated the same on your PC and hence it is not just the Text Messages that you will be notified off.
5. Link Android & iPhone: Link Phone to Windows 10 is available for both Android and iPhone users.

How to Link Android/iPhone to Windows 10- Detailed Steps:

Let us go through the steps involved in this process. We will cover both Android and iPhone linking to Windows 10 in this section.

Link your Android Smartphone to Windows 10:

• Open All Settings(Windows Settings) using the shortcut Win Key + I .
• Click on Phone.

Phone

• Now, click on Add a phone.

Add a phone

• “Linking Phone to Windows 10” windows will now appear.

Link Phone to Windows 10

• On the next step, you have to choose the platform. Choose Android and then click on Continue.

Choose your Platform

• Enter your active mobile number and click on Send. Microsoft will send a message to your mobile number containing the download link of the Phone Companion app that is essential to link your phone to your PC.

• Link your Device using Mobile Number. You will be receiving a text message to your mobile number containing the download link of “Your phone Companion app” from Microsoft.

Text Message from Microsoft

• Click on the link to download and install Your Phone Companion app from Google Play.

Your Companion App on Google Play

• After the installation of the app, open it and scan the QR Code that is showing on your Windows 10.

Scan the QR Code

• Your Phone will now be successfully linked to your PC.

Phone and PC are syncing

• In the meantime, You have to configure your App Permissions.

Configure your App Permissions

• Finally, Go to Settings and then to Sync over mobile data and enable it.

• That is it. Now, your phone is synced with Windows 10 and you access your media files and get notifications of your phone from your Windows itself.

Link your iPhone to Windows 10 PC/Laptop:

Linking the iPhone to Windows 10 is totally different.

• Go to Windows Settings using the shortcut Win Key + I .
• Click on Phone.
• Now, click on Add phone.
• Choose your platform. In this case, it is the iPhone.

Choose iPhone

• Enter your active mobile number and click on send to allow Microsoft to send you the download link of Microsoft Edge Browser from the App Store.

Enter your Mobile Number

• Now, Microsoft will send a text message to your iPhone.

Text Message from Microsoft

• Download and Install Edge Browser on your iPhone.

Edge Web Browser

• Then Sign in with your registered Microsoft Email id.

Log in with your Microsoft Account

• Once you are done with that, then you can find your phone automatically linked to your PC.

iPhone Linked to Windows 10

How to Unlink added Phones(Android & iPhone) from Windows 10:

If you don’t want your Phone to be linked with your PC then you can just unlink them from your PC and that will stop your Windows 10 from receiving notifications and others from your Phone. The following are the steps to unlink Android/iPhone Phones from Windows 10.

• Open Windows Settings using the shortcut Win Key + I .
• Click on Phone.
• Nextly, click on “Manage all devices linked with your Microsoft Account“.

Manage Devices

• Your browser will open and will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft Account.

Sign in with your Microsoft Account

• You can find all your connected devices. Click on Show Details of the Phone that you wish to unlink.

Connected Devices

• Finally, click on Manage and select “Unlink this phone“.

Unlink your Phone from Windows 10

• Your phone will now be removed from Windows 10.

Conclusion of the Article:

Linking Phone to Windows 10 is one of the useful features of Windows that allows you to manage notifications and multimedia files of your Phone from your PC or Laptop itself. However, you may have to keep a point about personal privacy here as there are no controls available to manage the notifications showed on Windows 10. The above article takes you through the steps involved in Linking Android and iPhone to Windows 10 and also about unlinking Android and iPhones from Windows 10.

If you have any doubts, please let us know in the comments below. For more such awesome posts stay tuned to TecKangaroo.