Windows 11 users who connect their Samsung phone to their PC using the Phone Link app are in for a treat with a new version of Samsung's interface for their Android devices.
Windows Latest noticed that with Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 update now rolling out to the latest-generation phones, including the Galaxy S23 models and last year’s foldables, Phone Link now works more seamlessly with its mirroring feature.
For the uninitiated, the Phone Link app allows users to connect an Android phone to a Windows 11 (or 10) PC, and the experience is especially seamless for Samsung Galaxy devices, as Phone Link benefits from deeper integration and more features with Samsung phones.
Windows Latest noticed that after updating a Samsung Galaxy S23 to the latest version of One UI, the device was no longer asking for permission to start screen mirroring. When clicking to start screen mirroring in the Phone Link app, it would start automatically without a prompt appearing on the S23 to mirror the screen.
While this seems like a fairly minor change, remember that previously, every time you initiated screen mirroring via Phone Link, the Samsung phone would ask for permission. So removing that is definitely a nice convenience, as it makes activating the screen mirroring feature a one-click experience.
Moving forward with Phone Link
Microsoft continues to improve Phone Link on a regular basis and another interesting change we saw earlier this year (in testing) is that Microsoft integrated artificial intelligence into the app. The AI feature offers suggested replies to messages in the Phone Link app and, in the same vein as auto-replies in Gmail, a few possible replies are offered to choose from.
Besides, We've heard rumors for a few months now. that Phone Link could become a “Companion” to the Start menu, meaning it will be present in a floating panel docked to either side of the menu. The whole Companion UI change is still in testing, and there’s only a small hint that Phone Link will be part of this puzzle, if it ever comes to fruition. Still, that would put Phone Link at the heart of the Windows 11 interface (if you want it there).
It's clearly a big win for Microsoft, probably more so since Apple now has iPhone Mirroring in macOS Sequoia.
