Insider Previewing Phone Link for iPhone users on Windows 11 with Windows Insiders

Edwin · Feb 28, 2023

I still just use Messages for Web..., PhoneLink is way too convoluted!

dbartenstein · Mar 11, 2023

The iPhone selection is greyed out for me, so this app remains useless for me. But this has been happening the last couple days also.... MS Store updates the app and I run it to see if the iPhone has been turned on.

PerpetualCycle · Mar 22, 2023

Works for me. It is OK. Sent a message to my wife, worked fine. Contacts are synced.

dbartenstein · Mar 22, 2023

dbartenstein said:
The iPhone selection is greyed out for me, so this app remains useless for me. But this has been happening the last couple days also.... MS Store updates the app and I run it to see if the iPhone has been turned on.

So it updated today and I got the iPhone button active. Took me about 2 hours and a dozen tries to get the link to take via Bluetooth. Finally says it's connected and I start seeing my messages and calls lists. Then it disconnects and refuses to reconnect for more than a second at a time. I do hope they improve it so it's not just a Bluetooth connection. My iPhone and PC are both on the home Wi-Fi, so it makes no sense that the app shouldn't take advantage of that.

Edwin · Mar 22, 2023

I tried the Phone Link thing 3 times now, it's just too convoluted! I can connect to Messages for Web in under 3 seconds!

dbartenstein · Mar 22, 2023

Edwin said:
I tried the Phone Link thing 3 times now, it's just too convoluted! I can connect to Messages for Web in under 3 seconds!

If your phone is Android.....

Dru2 · Mar 22, 2023

dbartenstein said:
So it updated today and I got the iPhone button active. Took me about 2 hours and a dozen tries to get the link to take via Bluetooth. Finally says it's connected and I start seeing my messages and calls lists. Then it disconnects and refuses to reconnect for more than a second at a time.

This seems to be a prevalent issue no matter android or IOS as the same thing happen with my phone sometimes. When it's connected the app is heaven. When it disconnects, and trying to get it connected again, it's hell.

That said, it seems the app is getting better as my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer consistently disconnects like it use to. But yeah, when it does (rarely now), it's still hell to reconnect it and often requires unlinking and linking again.

Edwin · Mar 22, 2023

dbartenstein said:
If your phone is Android.....

True dat!!!

PerpetualCycle · Mar 23, 2023

It nicely forwards my iphone notifications to Windows notifications. I always have my phone nearby while on the PC, so don't have to pick it up to see incoming notifications.

jvickers · Mar 23, 2023

I don't see message history from my iPhone. Not sure if I should. I can send messages, but I don't get messages on my system.

CornishRattler · Mar 23, 2023

I connected to Phone Link with my iPhone yesterday, it's been stable for me so far. Reconnects automatically after reboot, it's a bit sparce though. Maybe it'll improve, who knows.

Archigos · Mar 23, 2023

I got the email like 2 days ago telling me to try it, but when I checked, I still had the "Coming Soon" button... I read the email again and it appears it wasn't a 'your place in line' like waitlist and more of a generic 'sent to all insiders' kind of email, so I was disappointed.

Last night, just after 9 pm local time, I got yet another update to the app, and this time the iPhone button was active, so I set it up last night but couldn't really text people late at night (didn't want to be rude) so I couldn't test it until today. It didn't sync any of my messages so I had no history, but it did sync my contacts. For the small number of features it does offer, it does it 'ok', but I had one person that sent multiple messages very quickly and even though the notification section showed each message, the message log itself missed 3 messages that didn't appear. Also, there doesn't appear to be a way to remove the 'chat' from the app after.

I'm submitting the annoyances above to the feedback hub later today when I get home. Otherwise, I'd say this is 'a good first step, but there is a lot to be improved'.

PerpetualCycle · Mar 27, 2023

Yeah, but hopefully it will improve and add more features like the history and attachements to messages. But I find it useful so far. Didn't find the android version useful or reliable at all.

dbartenstein · Apr 21, 2023

dbartenstein said:
So it updated today and I got the iPhone button active. Took me about 2 hours and a dozen tries to get the link to take via Bluetooth. Finally says it's connected and I start seeing my messages and calls lists. Then it disconnects and refuses to reconnect for more than a second at a time. I do hope they improve it so it's not just a Bluetooth connection. My iPhone and PC are both on the home Wi-Fi, so it makes no sense that the app shouldn't take advantage of that.

I still have the option, but the bloody thing refuses to link anymore. I scan the QR Code and my PC and phone just sit and spin....

I've tried the generic troubleshooting steps of making sure the devices are "forgotten" and restating Bluetooth several times, but no dice.

The kicker is, if I just go to Bluetooth and link the devices outside of Phone Link, they recognize each other instantly. But Phone Link doesn't care; it wants to link them itself, and it won't....

CornishRattler · Apr 21, 2023

Mine connected straight away a few weeks ago, wish I hadn't bothered. It's a really p!ss poor excuse for an app

BrianInEngland · Apr 21, 2023

CornishRattler said:
Mine connected straight away a few weeks ago, wish I hadn't bothered. It's a really p!ss poor excuse for an app

It actually works really well... on Android

Ghot · Apr 21, 2023

I "like" having things NOT synced. NOT talking to each other.

All of you need to watch this (newer) episode of X-Files.

"The X-Files" Rm9sbG93ZXJz (TV Episode 2018) ⭐ 8.0 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

43m | TV-14

www.imdb.com

It's all about when electronic things are all tied together, AI is running things, and you do something the system doesn't like.
It all started when Mulder didn't leave a tip at an automated sushi restaurant.

You've been warned. ^^

magilla · Apr 21, 2023

My iPhone goes all the way through the connect process but then for some reason it does not connect and suggests that I either remove connection and/or restart the link process. I tried twice. That's it. I have tried before to link my iPhone to no avail.

wimorrison · Apr 21, 2023

I gave up on this and have now deleted it. I found it wasn't really much use when I had it installed and all it was doing was telling what I already knoew from WhatsApp on the desktop and Outlook. Itw as occasionally useful for iMessages and SMS, but as everyone uses WhatsApp these days the use case was very limited.