Microsoft’s popular companion app for Windows PCs and Android phones has stumbled into a bit of a rebrand today and is now simply called “Phone Link” on PC and “Link to Windows” on Android. While I get the reasoning behind initially calling it “Your Phone,” it was always sort of awkward to describe or refer to, while Phone Link and Link to Windows should help better explain what the action of the app is by name.
In a blog post announcing the change in name(s), Microsoft also announced that Phone Link is getting a brand-new interface for Windows 11 and that it will bring notifications upfront, as well as a tabbed navigation experience.
For those not familiar with Phone Link (or Your Phone), this is the app Microsoft created three years ago that let you mirror a lot of your phone’s functionality to a Windows PC. It started out only brings photos and texts from your phone to computer, but has since grown to show notifications, let you take calls, and run apps. It’s pretty sweet for Windows owners.
The new UI can be seen in the image up top. I haven’t fired up Phone Link in a bit, but everything still looks familiar and shouldn’t scare you. The big change is that notifications will be more obvious to help you keep up with your phone without missing anything.
If on Windows 11, Microsoft describes the new interface as:
In our journey to make it easier for customers to get to the content that matters to them, we saw a great opportunity with the recent release of Windows 11 to also refresh the app design. We carefully updated our controls, color palette, and overall look and feel to deliver a native app experience on the new Windows 11 OS. New app design changes include rounded corners, fresh illustrations and updated iconography.
Microsoft also said that they are making it easier than ever to setup Phone Link with your phone, including through set-up of Windows 11 with a QR code.
Need to get updated? The link is below for your Android device.
Google Play Link: Link to Windows