Phone Link Showing Messages That Do Not Appear On My Android Phone

Question

Phone Link Showing Messages That Do Not Appear On My Android Phone: why? I have a text message on Phone Link app that does not appear on my Android phone's messaging. Message is spam/phishing, no way to report as such to Microsoft or delete from Phone Link. What gives?

Answer 1

I want to mentioned that it's not (Phone Link) app issue as it supports the read and write (read messages /delete /modify) BUT but many Android security updates after Android 11 restrict third-party apps from deleting items from the system SMS database

• Benefit: This is a security measure to prevent malicious apps from wiping your message history.
• Disadvantage: results in the "ghost message" issue you're seeing.

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Phone Link is essentially a viewer and Most Android messaging apps (like Google Messages) automatically intercept phishing texts and move them to a hidden folder. While the message is hidden from your main phone inbox, it still exists in the phone's SMS database. Phone Link often reads the entire database, including the Spam partition.

Reference #1: https://support.google.com/messages/answer/9327903?hl=en#zippy=%2Cyoure-in-control:~:text=Spam%20protection%20is%20turned%20on%20automatically%2C%20and%20you%E2%80%99ll%20be%20notified%20when%20this%20happens.%20You%20can%20turn%20it%20off%20anytime%20in%20your%20settings

Reference #2: https://support.google.com/messages/answer/7029021?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&oco=0

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I recommend you to Refresh/Reset of the Phone Link App:

1. from windows (Settings > Apps > Installed Apps)
2. Find Phone Link
3. Advanced options
4. Terminate > Repair
   

Also, from your phone (Settings > Apps > Link to Windows)

1. Storage > Clear Cache
2. Restart your mobile
3. Reconnect again the mobile to phone link app.

(next time, delete the messages directly from your phone's default messaging app)

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