iPhone users who also use Windows 11 are finally getting some cross-platform functionality. They’ll soon be able to see iPhone notifications and text messages, and even make calls from the PC. Windows 11 has long offered a remarkable degree of integration with Android phones, with access to photos shot on the phone and the ability to run phone apps on the PC screen. For years, Microsoft has been promising similar abilities for iPhones, but Apple keeps such a tight grip on its closed ecosystem that these intentions have been thwarted—until now. The feature will soon be available to all Windows 11/iPhone users—Microsoft has said that the rollout will be complete in May.

The PC/smartphone synergy comes courtesy of the Phone Link app in Windows 11 and the Link to Windows app on the phone—the same software used when linking Android to Windows 11. We take you through the process below, which is simpler than you may think.

On the PC side, I tested with a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 running the "Canary" prerelease build of Windows 11 Home and a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 running the released version of Windows 11 Pro. In both, I experienced plentiful crashes in the Phone Link app on the PC. By the time the feature rolls out to all Windows 11 users with compatible hardware, I expect it to be more stable, though I note that even Phone Link for Android occasionally suffers shutdowns, too.

On the mobile side, I used an iPhone X running iOS 16.3. The minimum requirements are an iPhone running iOS 14 or later, any Windows 11 device, a Bluetooth connection, and the latest version of the Phone Link(Opens in a new window) app on the PC and the Link to Windows(Opens in a new window) app on the iPhone.

Step 1: Getting started is a simple matter of opening the Phone Link app, which you can get easily by typing Phone Link in the Start menu. If your copy of Windows doesn’t include the updated capability, the iPhone button will have “Coming Soon” text.

Step 2: You then choose—you guessed it—the button that says iPhone. After that you see a window with a QR code, like the one shown below. (I blurred the code, which expires in 3 minutes from when you get to this page.) The “without a QR code” option gives you a URL to open in your iPhone’s web browser instead.

Step 3: Point your iPhone Camera app at the QR code. A notification appears that, when clicked, opens an App Clip, which is a nifty mini-app technology Apple introduced in iOS 14. Tapping Open opens the Link to Windows app in the App Store, which you need to download and install. You can see that sequence below.

Step 4: If you get to the right-hand iPhone screen above, you need to open the menu from the three bars at top left, and then choose + Pair a new computer.

Step 5: At this point, the Bluetooth pairing part starts. On the PC, you see a screen showing a six-digit pairing code and a Pair button, like this...

And on the iPhone, you see one similar to the image below, with a notification showing the pairing code and also sporting a Pair option...

The numbers should match (they don’t here because these screenshots are from separate attempts), and you tap Pair on both devices.

Step 6: After a little waiting, a new screen appears on the iPhone asking you to allow the PC to receive your iPhone notifications, like so...

If you want the Windows Phone Link app to work, tap Allow.

Step 7: On the PC, the Phone Link app now shows the final steps, which are to open Bluetooth settings on the iPhone, and tap on the "i" next to the PC name. Next, you turn on Share System Notifications, Show Notifications, and Sync Contacts in the iPhone’s Settings app.

Step 8: At this point, you should see a screen on your PC that says you’re all set and can now get on with texting and calling from the computer.

If instead you see a dire screen like the one below ("Unable to complete pairing"), you have to go into Bluetooth settings on both devices, choose "Forget this device," and start the process over. The steps for doing this are clearly spelled out on the page.

Now is the fun part. You see your iPhone notifications in Windows 11’s right-hand Notification pane, and you can reply to texts from the notification toast that pops up in the lower-right corner. The Phone Link app places a tiny icon in the System Tray, but I prefer to pin its app icon to the Taskbar. One reason for this is that the System Tray icon doesn’t take you right to the full application window but instead offers less useful choices.

Here’s the phone dialer that lets you make calls from the PC, which lets you search contacts or punch a number onto a keypad.

I tested the SMS and phoning features using a Skype Phone account. Below you can see that some iPhone notifications appeared in the left panel.

Disappointingly, as mentioned earlier, the app was so unstable in my testing as to be not useful at all on my two test PCs. It should really still be designated beta software, and I hope Microsoft and Apple get their acts together soon to make it truly usable.

Crashes aside, assuming the app works as intended, there are still some known issues that Microsoft support staff points out in an online forum(Opens in a new window).

Messages

Phone Link does not support creating or replying to a group message, or sending or receiving media in messages.

Phone Link will not receive the first message from a new recipient in Messages. [Editors' note: Not a problem in my testing]

Phone Link does not support sending images, GIFs, or Memojis.

Phone Link cannot show messages if the iPhone’s messages settings are set to not Always “show preview.”

Phone Link will not display message conversation history if, during use of the app, the Bluetooth session disconnects.

Calls

While using Phone Link, if a Bluetooth headset is paired and connected, call audio cannot be routed to the PC speaker.

Phone Link appears on the PC with an ongoing call if a VoIP call is answered on the phone while the iPhone and PC are connected over Bluetooth.

Phone Link ends an ongoing call if the window is closed.

Notifications

Phone Link is unable to dismiss voicemail notifications from the feed.

If you have Action Center notifications turned on, you may see duplicate notifications coming from the Windows App and from Phone Link.

Some of these problems may be solved by the time you use Phone Link with an iPhone, but some I experienced even with the superior Samsung smartphone integration with Phone Link. A couple of them aren’t a big deal; for example, you just have to remember that if you "X" out the small phone-call window on the PC, you hang up the call.

You get a lot more functionality with Windows Phone Link if you use an Android phone, and particularly if you use a recent Samsung model. For example, you can run multiple phone apps on your Windows desktop screen. You can also see and transfer any photos from your phone’s camera roll. If you want iPhone-to-Windows photo syncing, you can snag Apple’s iCloud for Windows application.

But what you do get with the iPhone is darned useful. In fact, the features I use in Phone Link most with my Samsung Galaxy S21 are text messages and notifications, which you get with the new iPhone capability. If you need the tightest, fullest-feature connection between an iPhone and your desktop, you’ll want to consider getting a Mac, which offers robust integration between the two with Continuity and Handoff features. But if you prefer using Windows and want the richest phone-to-PC integration, consider switching to an Android phone.

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