Any change to the Windows Start Menu is inevitably met with resistance. Still, Windows users love a good new feature, and Microsoft is cookin’ up something special with its new Phone Link integration for the Start menu.

You may be familiar with Phone Link, a Microsoft service that lets you use your smartphone from your Windows desktop. Phone Link is currently tucked in the system tray of the Windows taskbar, which can make it difficult to keep an eye on messages, calls, smartphone battery life, and other details while using your PC. It doesn’t feel like a fully-integrated experience.

Going forward, Microsoft will bake Phone Link into the Start menu. The idea is pretty simple—open the Start menu while your smartphone is connected to your PC, and you’ll be met with a panel full of smartphone information and quick-access actions. This panel is located to the right of the standard Start menu container, meaning that it won’t obstruct any of the items that you typically access from the Start menu.

The new Phone Link panel appears on the right side of the Start menu.
Microsoft

Here’s what you can access from the Phone Link panel in the Start menu:

  • Screen Mirroring Shortcut
  • Phone Battery Life
  • Phone Bluetooth Status
  • Messages
  • Calls
  • Photos
  • Recent Notifications

Microsoft hasn’t announced any additional functionality for Samsung smartphones (which support hotspot access through Phone Link, among other things). On the bright side, Start menu integration seems to work for all Android devices that fit the current Phone Link connectivity requirements.

Note that the dedicated Phone Link app will continue to exist. This Start menu integration does not replace the core Phone Link experience. I should also point out that KDE Connect is still the most robust linking method for Android users on PC. KDE Connect lacks Start menu integration, though, and Phone Link is a far more intuitive option for the average user.

The Start menu’s new Phone Link integration is currently rolling out to Windows 11 Insiders on the Beta channel (a Dev channel release is planned for “the future”). Those who want to test the feature may need to manually update the Phone Link app in the Microsoft Store. This feature is limited to Android, though Microsoft is working to build support for iOS.

Source: Microsoft