Microsoft Phone Link
Ranked 3 of 3 phone companion apps by recommenders
A free Windows app that brings phone notifications, calls and texts to a PC, which people find convenient and nearly as good as Apple's built-in ecosystem.
A free Windows app that brings phone notifications, calls and texts to a PC, which people find convenient and nearly as good as Apple's built-in ecosystem.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Shows phone notifications, calls and texts
“windows phone link can show me notifications and notice incoming calls while the phone is locked”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “iOS allows alternative browser engines in Japan” “I use Phone Link so I can conduct text messaging from my laptop.”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “Typing Is Being Replaced by Whispering–and It's More Annoying” Convenient app with many features
“offers the same features and more”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Scrcpy v4.0” “The Phone Link app is convenient”
Comment from 12 Mar 2026 in “MacBook Neo”
Other phone companion apps people recommend
The two most recommended other phone companion apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KDE Connect | 73 | 13 | 85% | 12 | — | Approved |
| scrcpy | 25 | 2 | 93% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Microsoft Phone LinkThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“offers the same features and more”
“I use Phone Link so I can conduct text messaging from my laptop.”
“The Phone Link app is convenient”
“Microsoft's partnership with Samsung for Phone Link features will make my life delightful”
“windows phone link can show me notifications and notice incoming calls while the phone is locked”
“the phone link feature seems to constantly consume 8-10% CPU regardless of whether my phone is connected or not”
“windows -> iPhone via their phone link is actually almost as good as apples built in ecosystem”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.