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

Windows 11 finally gets one of the best macOS features

Fionna Agomuoh
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.

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

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.

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
Bing Image Creator brings DALL-E AI-generated images to your browser
Bing Image Creator being used in the Edge sidebar.

Microsoft isn't slowing down its momentum in generative AI. Just a month since it launched the ChatGPT-based Bing Chat, the company is now introducing Bing Image Creator, which brings text-to-image generation right to your browser.

Bing Image Creator lets you create images from text using DALL-E, which is OpenAI's own text-to-image AI model. Microsoft says it's using "an advanced" version of DALL-E, though the company didn't provide specifics about how it was different than the current DALL-E 2 model. This isn't dissimilar, though, to how Bing Chat was announced, which had been running on GPT-4 before the new model had even been announced.

Read more
The Windows 11 taskbar is getting an important new update
windows 11 taskbar third party app pinning

Microsoft is working on new experiences for Windows that will allow developers to enable pinning for third-party applications, as well as enable pinning to the Taskbar.

Microsoft recently announced the details of these upcoming functions in a blog post. This is the brand's attempt to universalize its pinning process across all apps used on Windows. In practice, it will be similar to how pinning works on the Edge browser, with the Windows 11 users being notified by the Action Center about a request for pinning to the Taskbar by the app in question.

Read more
What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more
The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.

Read more