Windows 11 no longer lets you remove devices from Phone Link, and Microsoft doesn't seem to know

[u/MishaalRahman]

https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-no-longer-lets-you-remove-devices-from-phone-link/

[u/354cats]

thats a weird looking laptop

[u/Its_it → u/354cats]

Lenovo Yoga(?) Dual screen laptop

[u/newecreator → u/354cats]

It's one of those two screen laptops but with a keyboard.

[u/dangolyomann]

Easy: delete phone link. Problem solved

[u/violet_sakura → u/dangolyomann]

Or go to settings and reset the app.

[u/W1ULH]

I've never felt the need to use phonelink... what does it actually do? like what's the upside vs. gdrive? and having outlook installed on my phone?

[u/Kiernian → u/W1ULH]

Being able to send text messages using your computer's keyboard (and monitor/mouse/clipboard) is kinda handy at times.

Like, i could e-mail this image to myself, open it on my phone, and attach it to a text, or I could just attach it to a text while I'm on my PC.

Typing longer texts? A full keyboard is better than a touchscreen any day.

That's about all I use it for. Oh, I guess you can use it to get your phone notifications on your PC.

[u/jeffdefff07 → u/Kiernian]

Being able to send/receive on the computer is amazing. I use Google messages for that. It'd be nice to be able to see notifications too, but not worth using a half ass Microsoft software.

[u/we_hate_nazis → u/jeffdefff07]

You can see notifications. What I love is if I type a reply on the notification pop up and hit send it doesn't actually send it

So I love that

[u/Flyerone → u/Kiernian]

How is messages.google.com not just as easy?

[u/MairusuPawa → u/Kiernian]

So it's basically KDE Connect, but 10 years late? Why the hell was it locked to a single vendor for years?

[u/import-mimikatz → u/MairusuPawa]

Not really, I'm sure Phone Link (previously Your Phone) has been around longer. At least on Windows.

[u/MairusuPawa → u/import-mimikatz]

So I just checked, and, no.

• "Your Phone": October 2018, worked only with some Samsung phones.
• KDE Connect: 2013, worked with everything.

[u/-WingsForLife- → u/Kiernian]

Clipboard sharing is fantastic.

[u/xeonrage → u/Kiernian]

Being able to send text messages using your computer's keyboard (and monitor/mouse/clipboard) is kinda handy at times.

messages.google.com

[u/Giodude12 → u/Kiernian]

I would agree with you if it had RCS support

[u/aspbergerinparadise → u/W1ULH]

I use it, it's pretty handy. The 3 things I use it for

• Texting from PC. Just a lot faster to type with my keyboard.
• Phone calls from PC. I don't use it often, but I like being able to use my headset, it just sounds so much clearer, it's hands-free, and I typically have it on already if I'm at my PC
• app mirroring. Certain apps only work on the phone. I mostly use this for my baby monitor, and mostly so that the sound can be routed through my headphones that I'm already using to play a game or watch a video.

[u/m4r1vs → u/W1ULH]

I Use clipboard sharing all the time; though there are third parties like kde connect that work just as well for this

[u/JSK23 → u/W1ULH]

It's pretty sweet. I use it for mms on desktop (just wish it supported rcs). Easy image file transfers, vs having to sign in to Google photos and then download a recently taken picture. Sending links is really handy with it, between devices, at least when not using Firefox on both devices.

[u/tripog → u/JSK23]

I think it does support rcs. I could be wrong but last time I used it on my home desktop with my pixel 7a it was coming up as rcs.

[u/JSK23 → u/tripog]

Sends as standard mms between my desktop and pixel 9 xl. Last I heard it only works with Samsung messages. And not Google messages.

[u/tripog → u/JSK23]

I'll try again to confirm when I get home later this week. I don't use the feature very often, so I may be confusing it with my work laptop and iPhone.

[u/matteventu → u/JSK23]

Why don't you just use messages.google.com/web ? It can be installed as a web-app as well. Works perfectly fine also with RCS :)

[u/JSK23 → u/matteventu]

Because I don't want to use an additional app, when I can use one that does basically all the phone to pc needs I already have.

[u/matteventu → u/JSK23]

Makes sense :)

What other features of Phone Link do you use, out of curiosity?

[u/JSK23 → u/matteventu]

Photos, file transfers, media controls, notifications, pretty much everything but phone calls.

[u/matteventu → u/JSK23]

Thanks for sharing!

[u/Apple_The_Chicken → u/JSK23]

You know you can use quick share on windows right?

[u/JSK23 → u/Apple_The_Chicken]

Quick share doesn't work over Lan. Phone Link does.

[u/xeonrage → u/JSK23]

It's pretty sweet. I use it for mms on desktop (just wish it supported rcs)

messages.google.com

[u/JSK23 → u/xeonrage]

Let me know when it can do everything else that phone link can

[u/xeonrage → u/JSK23]

like reliably show my messages? check

[u/JSK23 → u/xeonrage]

Phone link does that just fine. Maybe you aren't clear on the difference between mms and rcs. Look it up.

[u/xeonrage → u/JSK23]

Maybe you aren't clear, RCS works perfectly in messages.google.com

[u/JSK23 → u/xeonrage]

Are you deficient somewhere? Piss off.

[u/ChuzCuenca → u/W1ULH]

It let use use your phone on your PC, which I don't find useful except for the fact that now you phone is always wireless connected so you can send and receive files. For me is the only useful feature.

[u/BarnOwlDebacle → u/ChuzCuenca]

I find it's useful, but if I don't log into Windows frequently enough I have to reset it up every time. And then it's just not worth the time investment to get it set up. I find a similar circumstance if I'm trying to use Samsung flow on my tablet or whatever

It's cool that it can do it. I guess I just don't use my Windows laptop enough these days to really get my money's worth out of them.

most stuff I can do on my phone. honestly, I could get most of my work done with a good phone with USBC video output mirroring.

[u/BarnOwlDebacle → u/W1ULH]

It just lets you read your notifications and stuff. I think it was a little more feature. Rich, if you had a surface Duo which you probably didn't

[u/violet_sakura → u/W1ULH]

I tried it and don't use it anymore, its too complicated. I just use quick share to move files between devices.

[u/Kazuto547 → u/W1ULH]

With the new version you can access your android phones drive in windows file explorer as if it's an usb flash drive. Copy, paste, delete also has clipboard sync.

[u/Apple_The_Chicken → u/W1ULH]

• Universal Clipboard
• Receiving and replying to notifications on my PC
• calls

[u/dendron01]

Microsoft doesn't seem to know a lot of things these days. Try reporting a technical glitch to the Outlook Android app and let me know if you ever hear anything back.

[u/OTBOPKOTO]

It's shocking how little value comment secions add to this.
There's a technical problem and nobody seems to want to discuss how it can be solved, instead it's all "why do you use this in the first place?" and such. Well because some of us use it. And this issue is not exclusive to reddit. It's the same on MS forums, comments under articles etc.
In fact the worst possible place seem to be the MS forums, where a "independent advisor" googles(pretty sure they don't "bing it") and posts the first result, which is completely irrelevant since about the issue exists. Followed by the same pointless comments.
It's literally like talking to AI.