Windows 11’s best app gets better at searching your smartphone

Finding the right message

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Microsoftis working on an update to itsPhone Link appthat allows smartphones to be controlled inWindows 11by adding a search bar and fixing some bugs.

Availableon the Microsoft Storeas well as acompanion app on the Google Play Store, the app connects to your Android smartphone, where you can access photos, make and receive calls, drag and drop files, send and receive messages, all onWindows 11.

Despite Phone Link gaininga new lookand a new name earlier in the year, Microsoft has been concentrating on other apps in the meantime to give them bigger improvements, such as Paint andWindows Media Player. However, Phone Link is finally getting some attention again with a new search bar.

This will allow you to go through your messages with a quick search, without having to scroll through potentially hundreds of messages. Yet, while this new feature is welcome, Phone Link could be laying the foundation for something even more exciting, especially withAndroid apps about to be made available on the Microsoft Store, thanks toAmazon.

Analysis: let’s see it be greater than it is

Granted, it’s not the best name from Microsoft, but it’s  got atrack record of poor nameswith its other products throughout the years. But Phone Link is one of the best apps to come out from the company in recent years, and it could lay the groundwork for more Android apps to be used on yourPC.

The parts are all there: you can download and run some Android apps on Windows 11 already, and you can manage your phone’s content through Phone Link. The next step must surely be to run your apps through your phone.

This way, you could be playing a game on yourPixel 6for example, and you could carryon playing it on your PC thanks to Phone Link on Windows 11. The signs suggest that Microsoft is planning to do something like this, but it has been known to throw some curveballs as well.

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Whatever the company decides, Phone Link is still a worthy app to consider if you have an Android phone, and however small the improvements can be, it’s still building on what is a great app.

ViaWindows Latest

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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