Microsoft Phone Link – the company's app that enables users to pair their Android smartphones to a Windows PC – has expanded its instant hotspot feature to beyond Samsung smartphones, according to a report. Users with Android smartphones from brands such as OnePlus and Oppo may be able to use their handsets as portable hotspots to quickly connect their PCs to their internet without needing to manually configure the details. It builds upon Copilot chatbot-supported features recently brought to Android smartphones via a Phone Link app.
Microsoft Phone Link Instant Hotspot Feature Rolling Out
The Instant Hotspot feature was previously only available on Windows 11 PCs via Samsung smartphones connected to the Phone Link app. It is said to work by leveraging a Windows service that is bundled with the operating system (OS). According to an Android Authority report, other smartphones, including models from OnePlus and Oppo, have now gained support for this feature.
In order to access the feature, users will have to open the Link to Windows app and look for an option titled “Connect your PC to your mobile hotspot in an instant”. It was reportedly rolled out as a server-side update. Handsets which have not received it yet may receive an over-the-air (OTA) update that could bring the Windows Service app to the latest version, according to the publication.
In addition to the introduced availability of the instant hotspot feature, Android smartphone users will be reportedly able to take advantage of other features such as cross-device copy and paste and app streaming.
In July, Microsoft reportedly rolled out a new update for Copilot that brought the capability of managing certain tasks on a linked Android smartphone. Users can connect their Windows 11 PCs to their Android 14-based smartphones via the Phone Link app to enable Copilot control for various handset functions, such as sending SMS, setting alarms, and getting message summaries. However, the feature is said to be still in beta and may not be available to public users yet.
