What you need to know
- OnePlus just announced that devices running OxygenOS 14 will integrate with Microsoft Phone Link.
- The integration allows you to mirror your phone's screen onto your PC and to use Android apps from your phone on your Windows 11 PC.
- Phone Link also supports interacting with phone notifications, viewing your photos, and making and taking calls from your PC, though those features aren't exclusive.
OnePlus makes many of the best Android phones on the market. Those devices have a passionate following in part due to OxygenOS, OnePlus' version of Android. OxygenOS 14 adds global search on the home screen, improves the lock screen, and adds a unified security dashboard. It also adds a new integration with Microsoft Phone Link that lets you connect your phone to your PC.
OxygenOS 14 will make its way to quite a few OnePlus devices, dating all the way back to the OnePlus 8T. Our colleagues over at Android Central have a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about OxygenOS 14. We'll leave it to them to go through all of the new features in that update and instead just focus on the new Phone Link integration.
OnePlus promises a "seamless integration with your Microsoft Windows PCs, enabling rich cross-device experiences and redefining how you work on anything, from anywhere, with any device."
The new features for OnePlus phones will sound familiar to anyone who has used certain Samsung Galaxy phones recently. While Phone Link can be installed on any Android phone, devices with Phone Link built in get access to exclusive features. Now, that includes OnePlus phones running the latest version of OxygenOS.
What is Microsoft Phone Link
Phone Link is an app from Microsoft that connects your smartphone and your PC. When using an Android phone, you can reply to messages and notifications, take and make calls, and view the last 2,000 images from your phone camera roll on your computer.
Select devices have a much deeper integration with Windows 11. Several Samsung phones and now OnePlus phones can show your phone's apps on your PC. They also support mirroring a phone onto a PC, allowing you to interact with every element of your smartphone from your computer.
You can also copy and paste content between your OnePlus phone and Windows PC through the Phone Link experience, though it's worth noting that's also possible by using SwiftKey.
Phone Link also works with iPhones, but to a lesser extent. Apple restricts some of the integrations required for more advanced functionality. The best experience regarding connecting your smartphone and your PC is to use a device with Phone Link built in, such as Samsung or OnePlus phones.
