iphone not connecting to PC in phonelink

Question

I'm not able to connect my iPhone to my pc using phone link.

I spent a long time on the Microsoft chat with an agent, who tried many things while using my screen before directing me here, I'm not really sure how to get help.

I know that the software for both the PC and iPhone are up to date, I've tried every possible order of bluetooth connect/disconnect/forget device/restart devices.
The agent tried creating a second user profile on the computer which had the same issue.
The iPhone and PC connect just fine over normal bluetooth. Other devices connect to the PC just fine as well. When they are trying to pair for phonelink and I can see the bluetooth settings on the PC, the iPhone as a device is flickering from connected to not connected.
Is it an issue with the computer? I only got it today.
It's a bit disheartening when you spend hard earned money on tech that advertises features that just don't work or (as brand new) take hours upon hours to try and fix.

Answer 1

Hi Ab6,

I understand how disappointing it is when Phone Link does not work on a brand-new PC, especially after spending hours with Microsoft Support and already going through the standard troubleshooting steps. I’m honestly not confident that I can provide anything beyond what a Support Agent has already covered, but as a Phone Link user myself, I wanted to share a few thoughts that might help shed some light on the situation.

From your description, one detail I noticed was the iPhone entry in Bluetooth settings flickering between Connected and Not Connected. By itself, this does not necessarily mean the Bluetooth connection is dropping. From my personal experience (not confirmed), in Windows 11, Bluetooth devices can enter a low-power state when they are idle, so the status may only show Connected when there is active communication between the devices.

As for the Phone Link issue, I'm curious about how the phone was initially paired. Did you first pair the iPhone through Windows Bluetooth settings and then try to go through Phone Link, or did you set it up directly from within the application? If it was the former, you may want to try the following:

1. Remove the phone completely from the PC, by opening Settings > Bluetooth & devices
   1. Find your iPhone > select the three dots and choose Remove device.
   2. In the same section, open Mobile devices > remove the phone there as well if it appears.
2. Open Settings > System > System Components and locate Phone Link.
3. Select the three dots and choose Advanced options > select Terminate
4. Next, click Repair > Reset > Restart both the PC and the iPhone.
5. On the PC, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices
6. Select Add device to open Phone Link > scan QR code to begin setup.
7. Approve all requested permissions on the iPhone > complete the process.

If the connection still cannot be established, it may be worth doing an isolation test. Try connecting the same iPhone to Phone Link on another Windows 11 PC, or try connecting a different iPhone to this PC. Depending on which scenario succeeds or fails, we may be able to narrow down whether the issue is related to the computer or the phone itself.

I hope the information above can help somewhat with your issue. But I also apologize in advance if it persists. One thing I must also note is that while iPhone is supported by Phone Link, it is more limited compared to Android devices. This application is designed around the Android ecosystem, so iPhone (Apple) pairing limitations may exist.

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