Phone Link receives messages but does not display passcode on desktop (like it used to).

Question

Phone Link has been problematic. Lately it's been working ok, but I don't get passcode displayed on my desktop like I used to. I have an iPhone and when I use my iPad, the passcode is easily loaded without having to do the copy/paste. Can you help me diagnose this issue?

Answer 1

On iPhone with Phone Link, certain notifications are now intentionally hidden and cannot be shown on the PC, especially those that contain passcodes or verification codes.

On Android 15 and later, this behavior is described as Sensitive Notifications: the OS detects notifications with two-factor authentication codes, one-time passcodes, and similar sensitive content and blocks their full content from appearing in Phone Link. The notification content is replaced with a message such as “Sensitive notification content hidden,” and these cannot be displayed in Phone Link. To see the full passcode, it is necessary to view the notification directly on the phone.

For iPhone, Phone Link relies on iOS notification sharing over Bluetooth. If iOS or the app providing the code treats these as sensitive, or if notification sharing is limited, the full code may no longer appear on the PC even if it did previously. In that case, the only supported way to see the full code is on the iPhone itself.

To check general notification behavior with Phone Link:

1. Ensure notifications are enabled and syncing:
   • On Windows, open Phone Link and confirm notifications are allowed.
   • On iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the (i) next to the PC name, and make sure Share System Notifications (or equivalent) is enabled.
2. If no notifications at all are coming through, verify:
   • PC is not in Battery saver mode.
   • Focus Assist is not blocking notifications.
   • Bluetooth is turned on and the iPhone is in range.

However, for passcodes and verification codes specifically, if they are being treated as sensitive, Phone Link cannot override that and show them on the desktop; they must be read from the phone.

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References:

• Troubleshooting notifications in the Phone Link