Sharing files between an iPhone and a Mac is super easy, barely an inconvenience. Android and Chrome have a similarly cushy relationship over on the Google side of things. But Windows doesn’t really have a steady date in the smartphone world anymore ever since Microsoft basically abandoned the segment. But today, the company is making file sharing between Windows 11 and iPhones that much easier.
According to the official Windows Insider blog, the newest version of Phone Link can quickly share files of any kind between Windows 11 and any iPhone running a recent version. Phone Link and its companion iOS app called Link to Windows (why are there two different names for this tool, Microsoft?) could already share files over Bluetooth, but anyone who’s actually tried that knows it can be a slow, painful process.
This updated version that’s built into the latest Windows Insider update appears to send files over your local network or carrier network, in a way that’s much more akin to Apple’s own AirDrop system. Via the app on your phone or notifications on your PC, it can easily send files of any type to or from either device.
I can’t actually test it out myself — I’m an Android person, don’t at me, I don’t care what color your bubbles are — but it should help close the gap if you’re running both an iPhone and a Windows 11 PC. Statistically, that’s the lion’s share of iPhone users.
Getting files from your phone to your PC or vice versa without busting out a USB cable is a small but frequent pain point for people like me. I’ve alternated between cloud solutions (like Dropbox and Google Drive) and more direct services (like AirDroid) in the past. Depending on how any of them are feeling at any given time, it has sometimes been faster just to email myself that photo or document.
So, I’d say this is a promising development… but since the Link to Windows app on my iPad is still showing up as a tiny phone app, and the functionality for tablets isn’t included in this update anyway, I think I’ll still be waiting for a while.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.