UPDATE:
Apparently you need to grant Link To Windows 'All Files Access".
(If it's already on, turn it off and back on again and re-connect your device)
Western Digital WD BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 2280 500GB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 3D NAND Internal SSD
Kingston A400 2.5" 240GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD
Seagate Barracuda 5" 1TB SATA III Internal HDD
TOSHIBA Canvio Ready 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 1 External HDD
PSU
CORSAIR RMx Series RM750x CP-9020179-NA 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular
Case
Phanteks Eclipse P400 PH-EC416PTG_BK Satin Black Tempered Glass/Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
I already heard of that potential solution but but they didn't say where that setting was. I am glad @Edwin was able to figure out how to find it.
Are you seeing the wallpaper in both the icon and the notification background?
BTW, there was another similar setting on my phone that controlled whether Phone Link could show photos.
Settings > Security and privacy > Permission manager > Photos and videos > Link to Windows > Always allow all/Don't allow.
Toggling that caused the photos to disappear in Phone Link. I had to go back and toggle that again for the photos to come back. It seems some of the settings are a little flaky.
AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
Memory
Crucial DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 32GB (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
Sound Card
n/a
Monitor(s) Displays
15.6-inch
Screen Resolution
1920x1080 300Hz
Hard Drives
2 x Samsung 990 Evo Plus (2TB M.2 NVME SSD)
PSU
n/a
Mouse
Wireless Mouse M510
Internet Speed
2100Mbps/300Mbps
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Malwarebytes
Operating System
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8246)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom build
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II
Memory
G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
Graphics card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung G50D IPS 27"
Screen Resolution
1440p/180Hz
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (2TB] M.2 NVME SSD
SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus (4TB) M.2 NVME SSD
PSU
Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
Case
Cooler Master MasterCase 5
Cooling
Scythe Mugen 6
Keyboard
Logitech K520 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
Mouse
Logitech M310 (MK540 keyboard/mouse combo)
Internet Speed
2100 Mbps down / 300 Mbps up
Browser
Firefox, Edge, Chrome
Antivirus
Malwarebytes (Premium)
Other Info
ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Easystore 20TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image 2025 backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
You can spend a month of Sundays going through permissions!
I'm pleased that my 3 apps that don't allow screenshots or mirroring stay blank on Phone Link!
Western Digital WD BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 2280 500GB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 3D NAND Internal SSD
Kingston A400 2.5" 240GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD
Seagate Barracuda 5" 1TB SATA III Internal HDD
TOSHIBA Canvio Ready 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 1 External HDD
PSU
CORSAIR RMx Series RM750x CP-9020179-NA 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular
Case
Phanteks Eclipse P400 PH-EC416PTG_BK Satin Black Tempered Glass/Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
I've done this + going to the factory default version. Installing the first update (Galaxy store) then using QR code puts 2 PCs in the list. Installing the second update (Play store) then using QR code puts 3 PCs in the list. The factory version doesn't even work with the version of Phone Link that I have.
Phone Link completely refuses to connect without using a QR code, and I genuinely think that's a culprit.
Western Digital WD BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 2280 500GB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 3D NAND Internal SSD
Kingston A400 2.5" 240GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD
Seagate Barracuda 5" 1TB SATA III Internal HDD
TOSHIBA Canvio Ready 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 1 External HDD
PSU
CORSAIR RMx Series RM750x CP-9020179-NA 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular
Case
Phanteks Eclipse P400 PH-EC416PTG_BK Satin Black Tempered Glass/Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital WD BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 2280 500GB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 3D NAND Internal SSD
Kingston A400 2.5" 240GB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD
Seagate Barracuda 5" 1TB SATA III Internal HDD
TOSHIBA Canvio Ready 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 1 External HDD
PSU
CORSAIR RMx Series RM750x CP-9020179-NA 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular
Case
Phanteks Eclipse P400 PH-EC416PTG_BK Satin Black Tempered Glass/Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case