Microsoft is trying out a new addition on Windows 11’s Start Menu in the form of a dedicated panel to display the status of the smartphone linked via Phone Link app. The feature is spotted in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3790 released last Friday.
More Start Menu Improvements
Based on the screenshot, the Start Menu will have a panel on its right which displays your linked phone’s basic status (connection status, Bluetooth presence, and battery level), while giving you quick access to the phone’s basic functions like messages, calls and photos, which are currently accessible through the Phone Link app itself. Down bottom, there’s the “Recent” section which seems to only record the latest activity in the three connected functions, so it’s unclear if any other notifications from your smartphone may show up here.
For now, only Android smartphone owners can try out this feature as Microsoft says iOS support “will be coming at a later date.” For Android users, make sure you have the correct Insider Build version installed with Phone Link version 1.24052.124.0 or higher to work.
Source: 9to5Google
Pokdepinion: Phone Link integration is still somewhat bare bones today, so hopefully there’s more to add on that front.
