Microsoft Copilot In Windows 11 Gets A Toggle To Control Connected Android Devices

Phone Link has been around for some time, and it offers a way for users to connect their Windows machine with an Android device for certain tasks, like viewing photos or sending messages. Microsoft Copilot AI is getting an update that will allow your Android device to share data in the same way, making the AI model capable of controlling your phone’s settings via something called “Phone Connection.”

Microsoft’s Phone Link doesn’t sound all that exciting, and it really isn’t. It essentially creates an ecosystem bridge between Windows and Android, allowing users to access certain parts of their phone from a desktop or laptop. In action, it works fine, and it comes in handy for a subset of users, though it has some catching up to do.

According to a find from Windows Latest, Microsoft is now rolling out a new tie-in called “Phone Connection.” This is different from Phone Link because it’s meant specifically for Copilot AI. Microsoft has noted that Phone Plugin is being replaced by the new Phone Connection feature, and new features will be available with the upgrade.

In essence, Phone Connection ties your phone to Copilot via Phone Link, though it is a separate setting in the desktop app. Without Phone Link, the Copilot connection does not work.

With Phone Connection allowing Copilot in Windows 11 to talk to your device, you’re allowing it to see certain bits of data. That includes common task items like alarms, messages, and navigation functions. The idea is that asking Copilot to turn off an alarm from your desktop will result in that alarm being disabled on your phone. This process does not seem to require Copilot to be installed on the Android phone.

Windows Latest notes that there is a handshake between devices in one of the worst ways possible. Even with this voluntary integration, the user still needs to accept commands given to Copilt from their device. In an example, an alarm was set via Copilot, and only after tapping the notification that appeared on the Android phone did it actually start. We recommend checking out their full breakdown for more details.

The connection feature will likely improve over time, and it’s nice to see the effort in bringing more integration between devices into play. In an ideal world, there would be one AI model working on both devices, but that isn’t how OEMs tend to work.

Phone Connection will work best with phones running Android 14 or later and the Link to Windows Service app version 3.0.01.7 or later. It seems the update is rolling out to users gradually, and the new Phone Connection toggle should be located in Profile > Account.

Add 9to5Google to your Google News feed.