38
Workshop
8 – 21 June 2022 • Issue 633STEP
2Phone Link will now
create a QR code you
can use to link your
phone to your PC. When it
appears on your PC screen,
hold your phone’s camera up
to it when the app tells you to.
You’ll also need to give
Microsoft the permissions it
needs to control your phone’s
functions, such as the ability
to access your contacts^1 and
files^2. You can do this by
responding to the prompts, or
returning to your settings
later and adding anything you
skipped. You can also remove
permissions here, if you
decide you want to deny
access at a later date.STEP
3The biggest change to the app is a revamped home
screen. If you can’t see the sidebar on the left initially,
widen the window so there’s enough space to
accommodate it. This is always visible and displays notifications(^1) as they pop up on your phone. It means you can manage your
notifications without picking up your phone. Click the pin icon
(^2) to send a notification to the top of the list and keep it there –
any new notifications will then appear below it. Click the cross
icon^3 to remove a notification, which clears it from both Phone
Link and your phone.
Control your Android smartphone
from your Windows desktop
What you need: Windows 10 or 11; smartphone running Android 7.0 or later
Time required: 30 minutes
M
icrosoft’s excellent Phone
Link (previously called Your
Phone) is a free Windows tool that
lets you control your phone from
your deskop. A recent update
added useful new features, as we’ll
explain. It uses Bluetooth and
your Wi-Fi network to link your
devices, so you can use your PC to
see your photos, and respond to
your phone’s notifications and
text messages. You can even make
and receive phone calls from your
computer without touching your
phone. If you have a recent
Samsung phone you can also
control Android apps running on
the device. We won’t be covering
that here, but if you do have a
Samsung phone you can see if it’s
compatible at http://www.snipca.
com/42048.
STEP
1
To open Phone Link on your PC, click the Windows
button, type phone link in the box, then select it
from the list that appears. On the welcome screen,
click the ‘Get started’ button. As instructed on the next
screen^1 , open a browser on your Android phone and go to
http://www.aka.ms/yourpc. This takes you to the ‘Link to
Windows’ app in the Google Play Store. Install it by tapping
the Install button. Open it and tick the ‘I have the Link to
Windows app ready’ box. In Windows, click ‘Pair with QR
code’^2. On your phone, choose ‘Link your phone and PC’.
You may need to sign into your Microsoft account, or set one
up if you don’t already have one.
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