How to check your Android phone’s notifications on a Windows PC

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft had a system for managing notifications from Windows. Since then, it has been possible to see notifications from your phone on your Windows 10 or 11 PC as they arrive and to pull up your entire text history along with any pending notifications on demand. You can reply to messages from your computer. The Windows app has recently been renamed Phone Link.

How to start is here. The process for updating your PC to Windows 11 will be the same as for Windows 10. You're going to be going back and forth from your computer to your phone, so get set.

Make sure you have the latest version of the Your Phone app on your Windows computer.

• Open the Microsoft Store and search for Phone Link.
• If the app isn’t already installed, install it.
• If the app is installed, click Open.
• You’ll be brought to the Your Phone app. Click Get started.
• You’ll be reminded of which Microsoft account you’re signed into. Unless you want to switch accounts, click Continue.

Got it? Good. It's time to move to the phone side of things.

• You’ll be given instructions on where to go on your Android phone to install the Link to Windows app. For most phones, you’ll type in the web link provided, or you can search for it in the Play Store on your own and then install it. If you have a Surface Duo or certain Samsung phones, Link to Windows will already be installed.
• Open the Link to Windows app, and tap Link your phone and PC.

Back to your computer.

• You should see a checkbox that says I have the Link to Windows app ready. Check it, and then click on Pair with QR code. You’ll get a pop-up with a QR code.

Go back to your phone.

• You should see a box asking whether the QR code on your PC is ready. Since it is, tap Continue on your phone. Give Link to Windows permission to take pictures and record video.
• Scan the QR Code on the computer with your phone. It should connect.
• Grant the app the various permissions it requests.
• You’ll be warned that staying connected may impact your battery life. Tap Continue, and then either allow or deny it permission to run in the background.
• Your phone will tell you to check your computer, and your computer will tell you that you’re all set.

On your computer.

• You’ll be welcomed to the app and invited to pin it to your Windows 11 taskbar. You’ll then be introduced to everything you can do, such as see notifications, send text messages, view photos, or make a call.

You are not finished yet. The part that allows notifications to go through is the last part of the setup.

• If you’re still in the introductory screen, you can click on See my notifications. Otherwise, if you’re in the main Phone Link app window, you’ll see Notifications in the left-hand menu; click on that. You’ll be asked for permission to sync notifications.
• Click on Open settings on phone. On your phone, you should have been brought to Device and app notifications. Find the Link to Windows app in the list and activate the toggle beside it.
• Tap Allow on the confirmation window that appears.

That is it! The Phone Link app will take any notifications you get on your phone. You can make and receive calls, view your photos, and even reply to text messages if they are linked viaBluetooth. You can control your phone's features by pressing buttons.

This article was originally published on July 30th, 2019. The app and operating system have been updated.