Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Windows 11 finally gets one of the best macOS features

By

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 preview build to its Dev and Beta Channels, which includes an interesting new feature for mobile hotspot connectivity.

The feature is similar to one seen on macOS and iPadOS, which allows you to turn your computer or tablet into a mobile hotspot without having to involve your iPhone.

Windows 11's Phone Link on a Dell XPS Laptop.
Dung Caovn/Unsplash / Unsplash

On the Apple version, you’re able to view and select the mobile hotspot feature from an auxiliary device without having to access hotspot settings from your smartphone to inputting a password, Neowin noted.

Recommended Videos

For the Windows 11 preview, this function is being added to the Phone Link app that is already included in Microsoft’s software. The only catch is that it will only be compatible with a limited number of Samsung smartphones.

Related

Devices will also need to have various requirements to run the feature, including:

  • A Samsung smartphone with One UI 4.1.1 and newer.
  • The latest Android 12L update
  • A PC with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and Windows 11 build 22621 or newer
  • A cellular plan that supports hotspots
  • Phone Link version 1.22082.111.0 or newer
  • Link to Windows app on your Samsung device with version 1.22081.142 or newer

Microsoft’s relationship with Samsung so far might allow the brand to easily implement such features onto Galaxy smartphones. With this feature being at the Dev and Beta stage, there is no word on whether it will be made available to other Android devices.

Phone Link is an interesting feature that originally came to Windows 11 in February under the name Your Phone. It was a Samsung-exclusive feature at that time as well, as part of a partnership Microsoft had with the brand for the launch of its Galaxy S22 series. As part of that collaboration, Samsung models including the Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S series, and Galaxy Note series were also among the devices compatible with Your Phone, now known as Phone Link.

Microsoft then opted to rebrand and redesign the feature and open its compatibility up to other Android devices beyond Samsung models. Having also introduced a new setup method, Android users are able to scan a QR code from their phones to pair the feature to their devices.

Microsoft also announced its partnership with the brand Honor and devices including the Honor Magic V, the Honor Magic 4 series, and the Honor Magic 3 would sell with Phone Link included.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
Will my Mac get macOS 14?
MacOS Sonoma.

MacOS 14 is coming and coming soon, and thanks to Apple's big keynote address at WWDC 2023, we now know what it can do, what it's called, and who can get it. The next generation Mac operating system is codenamed Sonoma, and it's bringing gaming to macOS in a big way, as well as improving video calls, and security. It's going to be available for most modern Mac and MacBook users, but there are some legacy systems that are unfortunately being left out in the cold.

Wondering if your Mac can get macOS 14? Here's everything we know about what Macs are and aren't compatible with Sonoma.

Read more
Apple’s macOS Sonoma has a game-changing feature — literally
A person plays games on a MacBook using a third-party games controller.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) was chock-full of new announcements, and it’s fair to say that between the Vision Pro headset and all of Apple’s new Macs, macOS was far from the biggest new reveal. Yet, there was one new macOS feature that could be absolutely game-changing.

That’s because right now, Mac gaming is in a pretty bad way. Gamers don’t buy Macs because there aren’t enough good games, and developers don’t port their games to the Mac because there aren’t enough people to play them. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation caught in a death spiral.

Read more
Windows 11 just gained one of the primary reasons to buy a Mac
The Phone Link app being used on a phone and laptop screen.

The Apple ecosystem is the reason many people flock to the Mac over Windows devices. They already own an iPhone, so buying a Mac that works easily with it seems like an obvious next step.

Now, however, the highly requested Phone Link app for Windows 11 finally supports iPhone, finally making some of those ecosystem features a bit more cross-platform. The update to the app was announced in late April but is available to use today.

Read more