If you’re a frequent user of the Phone Link app on Windows, then you’re probably used to seeing your phone notifications mirrored on your computer. However, if you update your Android device to Android 15, you may lose the ability to see certain notifications.
First spotted by Android Authority contributor Mishaal Rahman, Phone Link has started to warn users that certain notifications may not appear. In the warning, it explains that some notifications will be hidden due to a new feature introduced in Android 15:
With the latest Android updates, Phone Link no longer shows notifications that contain sensitive details for your protection.
What this warning is referring to is Android 15’s ability to prevent third-party apps from accessing notifications that have been labeled as sensitive. In short, Android 15 will mark a notification as “sensitive” if contains something like a two-factor authentication code. It then only allows “trusted” apps with the RECEIVE_SENSITIVE_NOTIFICATIONS permission to read these notifications, most of which are system apps. However, companion apps for smartwatches, smart glasses, and more can also get the RECEIVE_SENSITIVE_NOTIFICATIONS permission despite being third-party. You can read our full explanation to get a deeper understanding of how it works.
While the Phone Link app counts as a third-party app, it should be able to bypass Android 15’s restriction. As Rahman points out, Phone Link should be recognized as having that companion role, giving it the permission it needs to read these types of notifications. However, it seems that Phone Link only requests this role if you have a Samsung device running on One UI 6.1.1.
