Windows phone link for Android relies to a group chat and creates a new group chat, and does not reply to the original group.

Question

Windows phone link for Android relies to a group chat and creates a new group chat, and does not reply to the original group.

Phillip Taylor 50

Why does Windows Phone link rely to a group chat bt creating a new second group chat. This then appears on other people's phones as a second group with the same members. This get very confusing as now both groups are acting independently. Why does Phone link just not reply to the original group. It's unusable!

3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Jason C 5

This issue is still ongoing and has a significant privacy flaw.

When a member is removed from a group text, they continue to receive messages if I reply using the Windows Phone Link app. This seems to be an integration problem with Windows Phone Link and Samsung phones and the Google Messages app.
(*All apps are update, reset as been performed. The Windows Phone App has a bug and needs addressed. )

JetpackJesus 15 Reputation points

2025-10-24T19:19:38.08+00:00

Just noting that the issue is not related to Samsung. I have the same problem using Surface Pro 11 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Surface Pro 11 is maybe two weeks old, but I only tried Phone Link on it for the first time today.

As noted above, I suspect that Phone Link can't handle RCS correctly because the new group it creates is sent the messages via MMS.

Also, the first sentence of paragraph 2 is a major yikes. Thanks for noting that.

Answer 2

VFR David 0

I have checked all the settings they told me to...updated my PCs...updated my phone...bought a NEW phone (this issue started with my Samsung S22 Note Ultra - and continues on my S24 Ultra)...even tried a different brand - but it STILL happens on a Google Pixel...I have also acquired new PCs - removed my device from my PC and re-added it...Win10...Win11...tried SO MANY THINGS...BUT - At the end of the day - it just keeps on cloning the groups - seemingly every time it changes the order of the members...that is ALL that seems to be the problem...

For some reason, it decides to RE-ORDER the group members - and - when this happens - it creates an ADDITIONAL group. I have no idea which group the conversation is in - my replies are in one - other members' replies are in another...there have even been additional groups created when there are more than 3 members - I am guessing that is due to the fact that there are multiple unique orders that can be created (A, B, C, D members can also be B, C, D, A...OR...C, D, A, B...OR...D, A, B, C - etc/and MANY more) - I can't tell if it SORTS the members based on some rule? Maybe different Code Pages? Or character sets cause slightly different sorting???

Regardless - this makes Phone Link all but UNUSABLE for Group texts.

IF ANYONE has ANY answer - I would LOVE to hear it...the only other thing I can think of is - this feels like it started occurring when "RCS" group messages became a thing on my Samsung/Android phones...is that related? IF so - is there a way to go back to plain-old Group Messaging without RCS? At least to test/see if it improves things? THANKS!!! Been like 2+ years I'm dealing with this - if not longer!

Thanks again!

David

LM 0 Reputation points

2025-08-04T13:13:46.7233333+00:00

I have the same exact issue. I tested multiple scenarios with different phones and computers. It only happens when using RCS in a chat group. I have tried the proposed solutions on the thread and they do not fix the problem. Note: One of the recommendations was to re register your phone with Microsoft, however Microsoft does not allow you to register an Android phone. When you try to register it says "We didn't recognize this serial number", then a message that says android devices can not be added at this time.
Joseph Hui 0 Reputation points

2025-09-18T15:02:54.2033333+00:00

The order of members in a group chat are not important (well, at least to me it's not), so Phone Link can simply sort based on the phone number and then easily organize messages in a group conversation together based on the sorted list. If the order of members in the group chat are significant, then Phone Link is already failing in this respect because it seems to reorder the group members in the list randomly.

Can someone from Microsoft please explain why this simple solution of sorting based on phone number is not used? It sure seems like asking all of your users to uninstall/reinstall/reconfigure all of the relevant software is the equivalent of "reboot your PC to resolve the (any) issue". And from the subsequent comments, it appears that reinstalling/reconfiguring all the software does not seem to solve the issue...
JetpackJesus 15 Reputation points

2025-10-24T19:40:51.41+00:00

I have the same issue. Surface Pro 11 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Everything is updated. I am fairly certain the problem is that Phone Link can't handle RCS properly.

The original group text is RCS. The new group Phone Link created sends my messages via MMS. The second group appears in my Phone Link app and in my Google Messages app (on phone and web app).

From what I can tell, the other people in the group chat receive my messages in the original group RCS chat on their end. That is, I am the only person that gets a second group chat. The replies to me from other group members appear on my end in the original RCS group chat, so, the new group that Phone Link created contains only my outgoing MMS messages.

Fortunately, the Google Messages web app works like a charm, so I have no need for Phone Link for texting. That said, Phone Link has some features that could make it a legitimately useful app if they worked. Alas ...

Great idea. Terrible execution.
Andy Seres 10 Reputation points

2025-10-27T03:03:52.3066667+00:00

I didn't know about the google messages web app. that's perfect. now I never ever need to fight with windows phone link ever again. it's unbelievable how bad it is that it forks every single group text. Completely unusable.
Matt E 5 Reputation points

2025-11-24T23:28:13.37+00:00

This is a nasty bug that makes Phone Link basically unusable. Thanks for the tip about Google Messages, that's what I'll be using from now on!

BTW, if it helps anyone, the Google Chrome browser has a nice feature that can make a web page behave much like an installed "app".

Open the web page in Chrome, then:

Click the three dots menu on the upper right of the browser > Cast, save, and share > Install page as app.

You can now pin the "app" to the Start Menu and/or TaskBar and launch it just like an installed app.

I do this for GMail, YouTube Music, and now Google Messages.
RMoody 5 Reputation points

2026-01-02T22:06:13.19+00:00

Matt E's suggestion is a nice solution, assuming you use Chrome. I swtched to the extension and dropped Phone Link. No more duplicate GroupChats. I didn't have the menu item he mentioned, just went to the Chrome web store and added the Web for Google Messages extension.

Answer 3

Dear @Phillip Taylor ,

Thanks for posting your issue on Q&A Forum. I understand how challenging this situation can be, especially when group chats are a vital communication tool. Based on what you've shared, instead of replying in the original conversation, it creates a new group chat with the same members. Unfortunately, this results in not just duplicate chats for you, but also duplicates on your friends’ and colleagues’ devices, further muddying the conversation and status updates.

Following my testing and research, below suggestions may help you address this issue:

Update and Patch: Confirm that your Windows PC has the latest Windows updates and that the Phone Link app is current. Likewise, verify your Android device is running the latest available OS update.

Ref: Phone Link requirements and setup - Microsoft Support

Reset Phone Link on Windows: via Reset your Android device and PC with the Phone Link - Microsoft Support

User's image

Please note that resetting may require you to reconfigure your linked devices.

Unlink and Reconnect Your Device: After the reset process, open the Phone Link app on your Windows PC and remove your existing device link. Then, go through the linking process again to reconnect your Android device.
Review Your Messaging Settings on Android: Double-check your messaging app settings on your Android phone to ensure group messages are correctly handled. For instance, some messaging apps might need to be set to send messages as MMS (or the platform’s recommended format) for group chats to be recognized correctly across devices.

Ref: Troubleshooting for messages in the Phone Link - Microsoft Support

Based on my testing and research, I’ve provided the troubleshooting suggestions above for your group chat issue. However, please note that my test environment might not fully mirror your situation, so there could be some limitations to these steps. If I've misunderstood the group chat problem or if your experience is different, please clarify further or send a screenshot so I can better assist you.

If you found this response helpful, please consider selecting "Accept Answer" and giving it an upvote. Should you have any further questions or require clarification, feel free to click "Comment" to continue the discussion.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Austin-H 8,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-12T03:10:34.7733333+00:00

Hi @Phillip Taylor

Is there any update on this thread?

If the issue has been resolved, please mark the helpful replies as answers.

This helps others in the community facing similar problems.

Thanks for your understanding.
Phillip Taylor 50 Reputation points

2025-06-12T23:35:43.3966667+00:00

You know, I just want it to work, I decided that it's not worth the effort and removed the app and moved on to better use of my time. Glad Microsoft don't make cars, having to take the wheels off every time the doors don't open would be a pain.
JetpackJesus 15 Reputation points

2025-10-24T20:03:02.82+00:00

@Austin-H You may have noticed from the subsequent messages, but nothing you suggested helped resolve the issue. It appears none of it was even relevant to the problem.
Mike T 0 Reputation points

2026-01-28T15:47:49.61+00:00

Came here hoping there was some fix but still the same explanation. Even starting with a brand new Samsung phone with no message history and a brand new Thinkpad laptop... Very first RCS gets forked within the first few message exchanges.

Share via

Windows phone link for Android relies to a group chat and creates a new group chat, and does not reply to the original group.

3 answers

Your answer