Phone Link App

Barb Gainey 25 Reputation points
2026-09-18T15:08:27.5666667+00:00

My Phone Link app on my android will not stay connected to my windows 11 laptop. It worked well once awhile ago but, it has been not working well for months. I've been in touch with the feedback people, try all of their suggestions but nothing has worked. Is or will there ever be a fix for this. TIA

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC
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AI answer

2026-09-18T15:08:46.7333333+00:00

There are fixes to try, but there is no confirmed timeline or guarantee for a permanent fix when the issue has been happening for months.

For a long-running Phone Link connection problem on Windows 11 with Android, the supported end-to-end recovery path is:

  1. Check both apps are fully updated
    • On the PC, open Phone Link > Settings > General and use Check for updates.
    • On the Android device, open Link to Windows > Settings > About Link to Windows > Check for updates.
  2. Verify the basic connection requirements
    • Both devices should be turned on.
    • Both should be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
    • Battery saver should be Off on both devices.
    • The same Microsoft account should be signed in on both Phone Link and Link to Windows.
  3. Turn off Android battery optimization for Link to Windows Battery optimization commonly interrupts the connection.
    • Go to Android Settings > Apps & notifications > App info > Link to Windows > Advanced > Battery > Manage Battery Usage > Battery optimization.
    • Find Link to Windows and select Don't optimize.
    • On some devices: Android Settings > Apps > Link to Windows > Battery > Optimize battery usage > All > Link to Windows > Off.
  4. Check Windows settings that affect Phone Link
    • Go to Start > Settings > Privacy > Background apps and make sure Phone Link can run in the background.
    • Go to Start > Settings > System > Shared experiences.
    • If Fix now appears under Accounts, select it and complete the prompts.
  5. Check Android notification-related settings
    • Go to Settings > Apps or Apps & notifications > Link to Windows and confirm notifications are enabled.
    • Make sure Do not disturb is Off.
  6. If the devices used to connect before, fully unlink and reconnect
    • On Android: open Link to Windows, select the Microsoft account under Linked Account, then go to Account Settings > Sign out and unlink account and confirm Unlink.
    • On the PC: open Phone Link > Settings > Devices > Add new device and complete pairing again.
    • If prompted to reconnect with a QR code, scan the code shown in Phone Link with the phone camera and complete the prompts.
  7. If the connection still drops, check network conditions
    • Avoid public Wi-Fi, workplace-managed networks, VPNs, or firewalls that may block communication.
    • Make sure both devices are on the same band/network if there are separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi names.

If the app worked before and none of the supported steps above resolve it, the remaining possibility is an app or service-side issue rather than a local setup problem. In that case, there is no documented permanent fix date in the available guidance.

References:

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