Phone Link, also known as Link to Windows, is a Microsoft app that allows users to sync calls, messages, notifications, and images from their Android device to their PC.
Now, there appears to be an update in the works, one that will make exchanging texts between a phone and PC easier. Specifically, it will allow the user to select text in photos synced from their Android.
This app is similar to Apple iPhones being able to sync to MacBooks, allowing users to respond to messages and access photos without needing their phone.
The new feature is set to use optical character recognition (OCR) to spot text inside images and highlight them, allowing the user to copy the text to a word processor, email, or text box.
However, the feature is currently only available through Microsoft’s preview channel.
Microsoft started testing this feature out in the Snipping Tool, where a transferred photo would open in the app instead of with Phone Link.
The feature is still locked behind the Windows Insider Preview Build, meaning if someone wants to try it out, they will have to make sure they’re a part of the Insider Preview Build channel.
Windows Central spotted OCR functionality in the Phone Link app on Windows 11. The feature shows up as a “text” icon when viewing a phone’s snaps in the Photos section of Phone Link.
Tapping the icon will begin character recognition, and then the user can select specific text, highlight all text, or copy all text.
Microsoft also recently released Windows 11 version 24H2 to the Release Preview Channel, also known as the 2024 feature update. It adds a range of features but removes the following apps; Cortana, WordPad and Tips.
