Microsoft has announced that it is beginning to roll out an early preview of Phone Link for iOS on Windows 11 with Windows Insiders. This means that the Insider who receives the preview of Phone Link for iOS, you will see the option to pick your iPhone on the Phone Link homepage (in addition to choosing an Android device). If you see the iPhone button greyed out with a coming soon message, that means you are not yet in the preview.
The preview will begin rolling out to Insiders who have opted in their device into one of the 3 Insider Channels via Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. If you are new to the Windows Insider Program, you can go here to get started. The company is beginning this preview with a small percentage of Insiders at first throughout this week, which means not all Insiders will see the preview right away.
Microsoft will increase the availability of the preview to more Insiders over time and based on feedback it receives with this first set of Insiders. The preview will require Phone Link app version 1.23012.169.0 and higher but the preview itself will be controlled via the cloud.
After choosing iPhone, the guided installation will kick off to pair your iPhone. You will be directed to follow a set of steps that will guide you to pair your iPhone and PC over Bluetooth. This will initiate after you scan a QR code shown on your screen, and then move on to the confirmation steps.
“During this step, you will be asked to confirm the code in Phone Link matches the code shown on your iPhone. Once you complete pairing, you’ll be asked to grant a set of permissions that allow us to get all your favorite content synced over to Phone Link. This is the final step. Phone Link will direct you to give permissions on your iPhone in your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings. This is an important step in getting notifications and contacts to show correctly in Phone Link from your iPhone.” the Microsoft blog reads.
Once the guided installation completes and your iPhone is paired to your PC and the right permissions given, Phone Link will deliver basic iOS support for calls, messages, and contacts. This means you will be notified directly through your Windows notifications. Phone Link does not support replying to group messages or sending media in messages.