Microsoft's Phone Link app for Windows 11 and Windows 10 is receiving a new update this week. In an upcoming release, the service will receive the ability to stream audio from an Android phone to a Windows PC.
While the feature will not roll out widely at first, it will eventually be available to everyone. It works in a similar way to the Connect now feature on Spotify. Basically, Phone Link will ask if you want to connect phone audio to your PC.
Elsewhere, Microsoft is also bringing “Continuity Browser History” to the Phone Link experience. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to share browsing history across PC and phone seamlessly.
However, this ability is only available on Samsung devices as part of Microsoft's partnership with the company. Samsung smartphones have wider Phone Link features than other Android devices.
Stream Audio to your PC pic.twitter.com/cI0meDHdMl
— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) November 12, 2022
Your Phone
If you're unfamiliar with Phone Link, you may know it better as Your Phone. That was the name prior to the launch of Windows 11 when Microsoft rebranded the app. Your Phone arrived three years ago as a bridging application that lets users view and use their smartphone on their Windows desktop.
Phone Link provides access to images, documents, messages, and other content from phone to PC.
Microsoft recently rolled out a new update for Phone Link, adding a new Instant Hotspot ability.
At its core, the feature allows a Windows 11 PC to access the hotspot of a mobile phone through Phone Link. This means connecting to the Wi-Fi/4G/5G of a phone will be more seamless. For example, users will be able to avoid using a password when a phone is paired with Phone Link.
Tip of the day: Though many VPN providers have their own apps, you can in many cases connect to a VPN in Windows without any third-party software. This is ideal if you have a self-hosted VPN or if you're using a PC with restricted permissions. In our tutorial, we're showing you how to connect to a VPN in Windows.