Adam Birney / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft has released a Windows 11 preview build for Insiders on its Dev Channel.
- The preview build will contain an update for Phone Link.
- Phone Link will now let Windows 11 connect directly to your Android phone through your mobile hotspot.
A new Windows 11 preview build is coming and it contains an interesting new feature. You’ll be able to connect directly to your Android phone from your computer through your mobile hotspot.
Microsoft is currently pushing out a Windows 11 preview build that’s only available to Insiders on its Dev Channel, Windows Central reports. The preview build addresses some issues and implements a few improvements. In addition, it appears the new build will also bring an update to Microsoft’s Phone Link app.
This update will introduce a new feature that lets users connect Windows 11 to their phone’s mobile hotspot directly by using the Windows Wi-Fi panel. The new feature is similar to how macOS can easily connect with a user’s iPhone hotspot.
Before you get your hopes up too soon, the new Phone Link feature will only work with Samsung handsets running on One UI 4.1.1 or higher at the moment. There’s potential that Microsoft could expand support to other devices — like the Surface Duo — down the road, but Samsung owners are the lucky ones who get access to the feature for now.
Microsoft has recently been working on bringing Android and Windows closer together. Just last week, we reported on Microsoft publishing a roadmap that mentioned bringing Android 13 support to Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). And early this week, the company announced a Windows 11-flavored Android 12L update for its Surface Duo.
Unfortunately, there’s no information on when or if Microsoft plans to expand access to this new Phone Link feature.
