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Windows 11 can now bring substantially more of a paired phone onto the desktop. Through the Start-menu mobile-device companion, Phone Link, and the taskbar’s Cross-device Resume feature, users can view or reply to messages, answer calls, browse photos, send files, check phone status, and continue certain Android activities on a PC. The exact features depend on whether the phone is an Android or iPhone, the phone model, software versions, permissions, and whether a feature has reached your rollout channel.
What Microsoft changed in Windows 11
In its October 15, 2026 Windows Experience Blog announcement, Microsoft said that messages, apps and files from a phone should be available while you work on a PC. The practical implementation is spread across three Windows experiences:
- Start-menu mobile-device companion: surfaces phone messages, calls, photos, battery and connectivity status, recent activities, and file sending.
- Phone Link: provides the main controls for notifications, messages, calls, photos, files, clipboard features, audio, hotspot and related functions.
- Taskbar Cross-device Resume: lets you continue a supported activity from an Android app on the PC.
Windows 11, Phone Link version 1.25032.82.0, an internet connection, and a Microsoft Account are listed requirements for the Start-menu integration. Your phone and PC must be paired through Phone Link and Link to Windows.
Android and iPhone capabilities
Android receives the broadest documented feature set, including Cross-device Resume and the Android-focused file and clipboard functions. iPhone integration is narrower but still exposes core communications and status information.
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| Capability | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Messages | Available through the Start-menu companion and Phone Link | Available through the Start-menu companion and Phone Link |
| Calls | Available | Available |
| Photos | Available | Not listed for the iPhone Start-menu feature set |
| Battery and connectivity status | Available | Available |
| Recent activities | Available | Available |
| File sending | Available | Available |
| Cross-device Resume | Supported on compatible Android devices and apps | Not included in Microsoft’s documented requirements |
| PC connection detail | Link to Windows pairing | Bluetooth Low Energy is used for the PC connection |
How Cross-device Resume works
Cross-device Resume is designed to hand an active Android task from the phone to Windows. Microsoft’s documented requirements are a Windows 11-or-later PC, an Android 10-or-later phone, internet access on both devices, a completed Link to Windows pairing, and a phone listed under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices in Windows.
- Use a supported Android app on the phone and perform an activity that the app exposes for continuation.
- After the activity is recognized, look for the phone-badged icon on the Windows taskbar.
- Select the icon. Windows opens the same activity on the PC, using the PC’s available app or browser where supported.
Microsoft Support’s January 2026 list identified these examples:
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| App | What can continue on the PC |
|---|---|
| Spotify | Music tracks and podcast episodes |
| vivo Browser | Browsing from the phone in the PC’s default browser |
| A chat conversation |
The list is app-specific and can change. Microsoft’s August 22, 2025 Insider announcement described a gradual rollout to Dev and Beta channels. In that preview, if Spotify was not installed on the PC, the Resume alert could offer one-click installation through Microsoft Store. That behavior should not be treated as universal availability.
Set up Phone Link and the Start-menu companion
- Install or update Phone Link on the Windows 11 PC so it meets the listed version requirement, 1.25032.82.0.
- Open Phone Link on the PC and Link to Windows on the phone.
- Sign in to both with the same Microsoft Account.
- Choose QR-code pairing when offered, or complete the manual pairing process.
- Approve the requested phone permissions for notifications, messages, calls, photos and other features you intend to use.
- In Windows Settings, confirm that the phone appears under Mobile devices if you want Cross-device Resume.
Phone Link’s Settings > Features page controls Notifications, Messages, Calls, Photos, cross-device copy and paste, wallpaper, audio player, hotspot, and mobile-data synchronization. Turning off a feature stops that category of content from syncing until you enable it again.
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File sending
File sending is available from both the Start-menu mobile-device companion and Phone Link. Files received by the PC are stored in DownloadsPhone Link by default; Phone Link provides a setting to change that directory.
Drag-and-drop is restricted to selected device families. Microsoft also states that touch and pen dragging are not supported, so use a mouse or another supported input method when moving files this way.
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Cross-device copy and paste
Cross-device copy and paste is limited to Surface Duo and selected phones from Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo and Xiaomi. Microsoft’s examples include Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy Note20 5G and Note20 Ultra, Galaxy S21+ 5G and S21 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip, HONOR Magic4 Pro and Magic6, plus selected OPPO, OnePlus and Realme families. A brand family alone is not a guarantee: model, software version and permissions still matter.
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The currently documented clipboard payload is text and images. Images larger than 1 MB are resized. Copy and paste can use mobile data if that option is enabled; otherwise both devices need Wi-Fi.
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What is still in preview
A July 24, 2025 Insider announcement described a refreshed Android Link to Windows hub with recent PC files and clipboard items, PC battery and Wi-Fi status, file sending, remote PC lock and phone-screen mirroring. Microsoft warned that the experience was rolling out gradually and that not every Insider would see it immediately. These Insider features should therefore be separated from the broadly documented Phone Link functions.
Why some apps do not appear in Resume
Cross-device Resume is not an automatic mirror of every Android app. Microsoft’s developer documentation describes Phone Link task continuity as a Limited Access Feature. Developers must request approval and provide a user-experience description, a screenshot, the app package ID and a Google Play link. Microsoft recommends its Continuity SDK for new taskbar integrations. Until an app implements and receives support for the feature, no phone-badged Resume action should be expected.
Quick Recap
Fixes when a feature is missing
- No phone connection: verify internet access, Bluetooth where applicable, the same Microsoft Account, and an active Link to Windows pairing.
- Resume icon absent: check that the PC runs Windows 11 or later, the phone runs Android 10 or later, the phone appears under Mobile devices, and the app is one of the supported integrations.
- Messages or photos stopped syncing: open Phone Link > Settings > Features and re-enable the affected category, then review the phone’s permission prompts.
- Copy and paste fails: confirm that the exact phone model is supported, that the payload is text or an image, and that Wi-Fi or the permitted mobile-data option is available.
- Files go somewhere unexpected: check the Phone Link file-directory setting; the default is
DownloadsPhone Link.
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