How to Fix the Phone Link App Not Working in Windows 11
Reading Time: 4 minutesDid Phone Link suddenly stop working on your PC?
The Phone Link (formerly Your Phone) app enables users to integrate Android smartphones with Windows PCs. However, users can’t utilize that app when it doesn’t work. Some users have reported on support forums they need to fix Phone Link not launching in Windows.
So, if your Phone Link app doesn’t open properly in Windows 11, try applying these potential resolutions to kick-start it.
1. Run the Windows Store App Troubleshooter
The Windows Store App troubleshooter exists to resolve issues that stop apps from starting properly. So, that troubleshooter could help some, but not necessarily all, users fix Phone Link when it’s not working. Nevertheless, you should try it first when encountering app issues.
These are the steps for running the app troubleshooter in Windows 11:
- First, launch Settings with that app’s handy Windows + I hotkey.
- Select Troubleshoot to bring up further navigation options.
- Click Other-troubleshooters to reach the troubleshooting tools.
- Select Windows Store Apps’ Run option.
- Then select to apply potential resolutions suggested by that troubleshooter.
2. Update the Phone Link App
Issues arise more regularly for outdated app versions. So, users must ensure they have the latest Phone Link version installed. You can update that app via Microsoft Store in the following steps:
- Open the Microsoft Store.
- Click Library to view a list of apps for which updates are available.
- Select the Get updates option.
- Click Update all if there’s an update for Phone Link.
- Wait for the app updating to finish in MS Store.
3. Select Phone Link’s Reset and Repair Options
The Repair and Reset options have helped some users fix the Phone Link app not working. Those are two troubleshooting options available for almost all UWP apps in Settings. So, select the Reset option for the Phone Link app, as covered in our guide to resetting apps in Windows 11/10. Also, click the Repair button for the app just above its Reset option.
4. Make Sure Your Phone Is Allowed to Run in Background
Phone Link can’t fully operate when it’s not allowed to run in the background. So, make sure you have background app permissions set to always for Phone Link. This is how you can set that app to always run in the background via Settings:
- Press both the Windows + X keys and select Search to access that tool.
- Type Apps & Features inside the search utility’s text box.
- Select Apps & features to open Settings’ uninstaller tool.
- Then click the three-dot menu button for Phone Link.
- Select Advanced options to access the Background apps permissions menu for Phone Link.
- Click the Always option on the Background apps permissions drop-down menu.
5. Turn Off Battery Saver Mode
Windows 11 has a battery saver mode for laptops that restricts background app activity when enabled. That feature can hamper Phone Link from running in the background, so disabling that mode could feasibly fix Phone Link not working for some users. You can turn off the battery-saver mode in Windows 11 by following these steps:
- Open the Windows System Settings app with its pinned Start menu shortcut.
- Then click the Power & battery navigation option.
- Under Battery, click on Battery saver.
- Press the Turn off now button for the Battery saver option.
We also recommend keeping your laptop plugged in before you try to launch Phone Link. That will ensure the battery-saver mode never automatically starts when the battery drops below 20 percent.
6. Enable Data Sharing Across Linked Devices
Phone Link is an app for which data sharing is important. Data sharing for linked devices needs to be enabled for Phone Link to work. You can allow sharing across devices for that app like this:
- First, open the Apps & Features tool in Settings as instructed for the first three steps of solution four.
- Click Share across devices to view those settings.
- Select the My devices only radio button.
- In addition, make sure you’re not utilizing different Microsoft user accounts on the Windows 11 PC and Android mobile your Phone Link app is installed on. You need to utilize the same Microsoft account on both devices.
7. Turn Off Third-Party Anti-Virus Apps
If you’ve installed a third-party anti-virus utility on your PC, that software might be blocking the Phone Link app syncing with your mobile device. It’s not entirely unusual for anti-virus tools to stop legitimate apps from starting properly by wrongly identifying them to be malware (otherwise known as false positives). That’s why many anti-virus apps incorporate exclusion lists for software.
To check if your anti-virus software is causing any Phone Link issues, temporarily disable its shield. You’ll probably find an option for turning off your anti-virus tool’s shield on its context menu. Click your anti-virus tool’s system tray icon with the right mouse button to select an option for turning off its shield. Then check if Phone Link works any better with your anti-virus switched off.
If that resolves the issue, add Phone Link to your anti-virus app’s exclusion list. Alternatively, uninstall the anti-virus software to ensure it can’t interfere with the app. The pre-installed Windows Security appa goodient replacement.
8. Reinstall the Phone Link App
Reinstalling Phone Link will repair that app’s files if any are corrupted or missing. However, the Uninstall option for Phone Link is usually greyed out in Settings. You’ll need to uninstall Phone Link with a PowerShell command instead. Uninstall and reinstall Phone Link in Windows 11 as follows:
- Open up Windows 11’s search box for finding files and apps.
- Type in the search phrase PowerShell to find that app.
- Select Run as administrator to open the Windows PowerShell app from the search tool.
- Enter this command for uninstalling Phone Link and press Return:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage - Next, open the Phone Link Microsoft Store page in web browser software.
- Select Phone Link’s Get in Store app option.
- Press the Open Microsoft Store button on the prompt that pops up.
- Click Get to reinstall Phone Link.
Access Your Smartphone in Windows 11 With Phone Link
Phone Link is a good app for integrating mobiles with Windows PCs when it works. Although not guaranteed, the potential solutions above will address many of the causes for Phone Link not working in Windows. If they’re not enough, try clearing the cache, enabling notifications, and disabling battery optimization on the mobile that includes your Android Phone Link companion app.