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Yes—Phone Link can give you basic controls for music and podcasts playing on an Android phone. After notifications and one Phone Link setting are enabled, a compact player appears in the Phone Link menu area with Previous, Play/Pause and Next buttons. The phone remains the playback device: Microsoft states that audio plays from the Android device or speakers connected to it, not from the PC. This guide shows how to set up the controls, what they can and cannot do, how the related Samsung streaming feature differs, and how to troubleshoot a missing player.
What Phone Link’s audio player actually does
Phone Link is acting as a remote control, not as an audio receiver. You start music or a podcast on the Android phone, then use the player shown in Phone Link on Windows to send transport commands back to the phone. The controls are intended for common actions:
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- Previous: moves to the previous track or episode according to the app’s behavior.
- Play/Pause: starts or pauses the active stream.
- Next: advances to the next track or episode.
The sound continues through the phone’s own speaker, headphones, Bluetooth device or other speakers attached to the phone. Pairing Phone Link does not, by itself, change the audio output to your computer. If your phone is connected to Bluetooth headphones, for example, the headphones remain the listening destination while the PC supplies only the control surface.
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This distinction matters because “control my phone’s music from my PC” and “play my phone’s music through my PC” are different requests. The standard player handles the first request. It does not capture, mix, record or reroute the audio stream, and it does not make a Windows speaker behave as an Android speaker.
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If more than one audio source is active on the phone, Phone Link can switch between them from the player’s dropdown. When another source starts playing, Phone Link changes to that source; use the dropdown to select among active sources when available. A music app and a podcast app therefore do not need separate PC controls: the available active sources are presented through the same player.
Requirements and compatibility
Check these conditions before changing settings. Microsoft’s general Phone Link requirements are Windows 10 with the October 2022 update or later, or Windows 11; Android 10 or later; and a phone and PC connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
| Requirement | What to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Windows edition | Windows 10 (October 2022 update or later) or Windows 11 | These are Microsoft’s stated baseline requirements for Phone Link. |
| Android version | Android 10 or later | The phone must meet the general Phone Link compatibility baseline. |
| Network | Phone and PC on the same Wi-Fi network | Phone Link uses the connected devices together; a different network can prevent communication. |
| Phone Link version | Version 1.20041.75.0 or later | Microsoft identifies this as the baseline for the audio-control player. |
| Android app notifications | Notifications enabled for the music or podcast app | Phone Link relies on the app’s notification permission to expose its player. |
| Phone Link notifications | Notifications configured in Phone Link | The audio setting is not available until Phone Link notifications have been set up. |
Some Android manufacturers ship Link to Windows preinstalled; other phones require installing the relevant Microsoft apps. Keep both Phone Link on Windows and Link to Windows on Android current. Meeting the general requirements does not guarantee that every phone model or every audio app exposes controls. Microsoft explicitly notes that some third-party apps are incompatible.
Think of the requirements as two layers. The first layer is the connection between the PC and phone: supported operating-system versions, the same Wi-Fi network and working Phone Link/Link to Windows pairing. The second layer is the media app: it must provide notifications that Phone Link can use, and it must not be one of the incompatible third-party apps. Passing the first layer does not automatically pass the second.
Set up music and podcast controls step by step
1. Allow notifications for the audio app on Android
- Open Settings on your Android phone.
- Open Notifications.
- Select the music or podcast app you want to control.
- Turn on notifications for that app.
Use the app-specific notification page rather than relying only on a global notification switch. If notifications are blocked for the individual app, Phone Link may have no player information to display. Repeat this check for each service you want to use: permission for one music app does not establish permission for another podcast app.
After enabling the permission, leave the app installed and available on the phone. The player is associated with an app that is actually playing audio, so a permission change alone does not create a player on the PC.
2. Enable the audio player in Phone Link
- Open Phone Link on the Windows PC.
- Select Settings.
- Open Personalization.
- Turn on Show audio currently playing from my phone.
The audio option is available only after Phone Link notifications have been set up. If the switch is missing, complete Phone Link’s notification setup first, then return to Settings > Personalization. This dependency explains why looking only for the audio switch can be misleading: a missing switch is not necessarily evidence that the phone or media app is unsupported.
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3. Start playback on the phone
Open the audio app on Android and start a song, playlist, radio stream or podcast episode. Once playback begins, the compact player should appear in the Phone Link menu area on Windows. The player follows the active source rather than starting audio by itself.
Starting playback on the phone is a useful diagnostic step. If the app is paused, closed or has no active stream, there may be no current audio state for Phone Link to show. Start one item deliberately, wait for playback to begin, and then check the Phone Link menu area.
4. Use the transport buttons
Select Previous, Play/Pause or Next in the Phone Link player. The command is sent to the phone’s active audio app, while the actual sound remains on the phone or its connected speakers.
These are transport controls, not a full copy of the app interface. You should not expect the Phone Link panel to expose a complete catalog, playlist editor, search screen or account controls. To browse for a different album or episode, use the app on the phone; use Phone Link for the quick actions the player provides.
5. Switch between active sources when necessary
If another audio app begins playing on the phone, Phone Link switches to that source. Open the player’s dropdown to choose between multiple active sources when the list is shown. This is useful when, for example, a podcast is paused while a music app starts playback.
The dropdown selects from sources that are active and exposed to Phone Link. It is not a launcher for every installed media app. An app that has never started playback, or an app that is incompatible, may not be listed.
6. Use the keyboard shortcut (optional)
Press Ctrl+Shift+A to turn the Android audio player in Phone Link on or off. This shortcut changes the visibility of the player; it does not move sound to the PC and does not replace the Android app’s notification permission.
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If the player is hidden with the shortcut, turn it on again before diagnosing a missing control. The shortcut is a display toggle, not a connection reset and not a command to start a particular app.
A practical first-use checklist
For a quick setup, work through the checks in this order:
- Confirm the PC is running Windows 10 with the October 2022 update or later, or Windows 11.
- Confirm the phone runs Android 10 or later.
- Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Confirm Phone Link and Link to Windows are installed and up to date.
- Set up Phone Link notifications.
- Allow notifications for the specific music or podcast app on Android.
- Enable Show audio currently playing from my phone under Settings > Personalization in Phone Link.
- Start playback on the phone and look for the player in the Phone Link menu area.
This order separates connection problems from media-app problems. If the audio setting is not present, focus on Phone Link notifications. If the setting is present but no player appears after playback starts, focus on the app notification permission, versions, active source and compatibility.
What you can and cannot control
| Action | Supported by the Phone Link player | Clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Pause or resume the current audio | Yes | Uses the Play/Pause control shown in Phone Link. |
| Skip forward to the next item | Yes | Uses Next; the exact skip behavior is determined by the Android app. |
| Return to the previous item | Yes | Uses Previous; the app may interpret this according to its own playback state. |
| Choose among active audio sources | Yes, when multiple sources are active | Use the player dropdown. |
| Launch every music or podcast app | No guarantee | Some third-party apps are incompatible and will not appear. |
| Route the phone’s sound through the PC | No | The ordinary audio-player feature leaves playback on the Android device or speakers connected to it. |
Think of the feature as a remote transport panel. It does not turn the Windows computer into the phone’s speaker, headphone output or mixer. It also should not be treated as a promise that every button has identical results in every app: Previous and Next follow the Android app’s playback behavior, while the app determines what counts as a track, episode or stream.
Phone Link controls versus streaming phone audio to a PC
Microsoft documents a separate capability for streaming audio from a Samsung device to the PC while using Android Apps or Phone screen. That capability should not be confused with the ordinary audio-player controls described above.
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|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Control playback already running on the phone | Send phone audio to the PC while using Android Apps or Phone screen |
| Where sound plays | Android phone or speakers connected to it | PC audio output, subject to that feature’s setup |
| Phone eligibility stated by Microsoft | General Phone Link-compatible Android device; individual app support varies | Samsung device with One UI 5.0 or higher |
| Phone Link version stated | 1.20041.75.0 or later | 1.22092.214.0 or later |
| Link to Windows version stated | Keep the Android app up to date | 1.22102.149.0 or later |
| Other device notes | No equivalent device restriction is stated for the basic player | Honor and Surface Duo are unsupported for this particular streaming feature |
Choose the basic player when you only need pause, skip and source selection from your desk. Investigate the separate Samsung feature only when your goal is actual PC audio output and your phone, versions and Phone Link mode meet its distinct requirements. The Samsung requirements are not prerequisites for the ordinary player, and installing a newer version alone does not change the basic player’s purpose.
Troubleshoot a player that does not appear
Confirm the Android app’s notification permission
Return to Settings > Notifications on Android and open the specific music or podcast app. Make sure its notifications are enabled. A system-wide notification preference can be on while the individual app remains blocked. Check the exact app that is supposed to be playing; permission for a different service will not expose this one.
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Confirm Phone Link notifications and the audio setting
Phone Link must have notifications configured before Show audio currently playing from my phone becomes available. In Phone Link, open Settings and complete the notifications setup, then check Personalization and enable the audio option. If the setting is already on, leave it on while you test playback rather than repeatedly toggling it.
Check playback state and source selection
Start playback on the phone rather than waiting for Phone Link to initiate it. If another app has just started audio, open the player dropdown and select the source you want. The player follows active sources and can change when a different app takes over playback.
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Verify versions and the connection
- Confirm Phone Link is version 1.20041.75.0 or later for audio controls.
- Update Link to Windows on the Android phone.
- Confirm the phone and PC are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Check that the phone runs Android 10 or later and the PC meets the Windows requirement.
Version numbers are compatibility baselines, not performance or adoption statistics. Updating can make the setting available, but it cannot add support to an app that Phone Link does not support. The separate Samsung streaming feature has its own version baselines, so do not substitute those numbers for the ordinary audio-player requirement.
Consider app incompatibility
If notifications are allowed, the Phone Link audio switch is enabled, playback is active and the player still never appears, the app may be one of the third-party apps that Microsoft identifies as incompatible. Phone Link does not promise identical support for every music or podcast service.
For an app that remains missing after these checks, submit feedback through Windows Feedback Hub. Avoid relying on unofficial workarounds that claim to force an unsupported app into the player. A missing app is not proof that the entire Phone Link connection is broken; another supported audio app may still appear normally.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Looking only at global Android notifications: the individual music or podcast app must also be allowed to notify.
- Expecting the audio switch immediately: Phone Link notifications must be configured first.
- Waiting for Phone Link to start playback: begin the song or episode on the phone.
- Assuming controls equal streaming: the standard player leaves sound on the phone or its connected speakers.
- Treating every installed app as supported: Microsoft notes that some third-party apps are incompatible.
- Using Samsung streaming requirements as universal requirements: One UI 5.0 and the separate version numbers apply to the distinct PC-audio streaming capability.
- Reading version numbers as quality scores: they identify compatibility baselines, not speed, reliability or popularity.
Decide which setup fits your goal
- You want desk-side controls while the phone supplies the sound: use the standard Phone Link audio player. Enable Android app notifications and the Phone Link personalization setting.
- You want the PC to produce the phone’s sound: the standard player is not enough. Review Microsoft’s separate Samsung audio-streaming capability, including its One UI and app-version requirements.
- You see no player for one particular app: treat compatibility as the likely issue after checking notifications, versions, network and active playback.
- You need controls for several active sources: start the desired sources on the phone and use the Phone Link dropdown to switch among those that are exposed.
- You only want the panel hidden or shown: use
Ctrl+Shift+A; remember that this changes visibility rather than audio routing.
Once configured, Phone Link provides a small, convenient transport panel without requiring you to pick up the phone for every pause or track change. Its boundary is equally important: it controls phone playback but does not, by itself, stream that playback to Windows.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I control music from my PC with Phone Link?
Enable notifications for the Android music app, set up notifications in Phone Link, and turn on Settings > Personalization > Show audio currently playing from my phone. Start playback on the phone, then use Previous, Play/Pause and Next in the Phone Link player.
Can Phone Link control Spotify or podcasts?
It can control a compatible music or podcast app when that app’s Android notifications are enabled and it exposes an active audio source. Microsoft notes that some third-party apps are incompatible, so support is not guaranteed for every service.
Why isn’t my audio player showing in Phone Link?
Check the individual app’s notification permission, Phone Link notification setup, the Personalization audio switch, active playback, app and Phone Link versions, same-Wi-Fi connectivity, and Android/Windows requirements. If the app still does not appear, it may be incompatible; submit feedback through Windows Feedback Hub.
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Not with the ordinary audio-player controls. Microsoft says audio plays from the Android device or speakers connected to it. A separate Samsung capability can stream audio to the PC during Android Apps or Phone screen use, with separate device and version requirements.
What does Ctrl+Shift+A do?
It turns the Android audio player in Phone Link on or off. It changes whether the player is shown; it does not route audio to the PC or grant an app notification permission.
Can I switch between a music app and a podcast app?
When multiple audio sources are active, use the player’s dropdown to select among the sources Phone Link exposes. If another source starts, Phone Link may switch to it automatically.
Do I need a Samsung phone for Phone Link audio controls?
No Samsung-specific requirement is stated for the basic audio-control player. Samsung One UI 5.0 or higher applies to the separate feature that streams phone audio to the PC, not to ordinary Previous, Play/Pause and Next controls.
Will Phone Link launch an app that is not currently playing?
The player follows active playback and is not a full app launcher. Start the song or episode on the phone first; an installed app that is inactive or incompatible may not appear.
The Bottom Line
Phone Link can control compatible Android music and podcast playback from Windows with Previous, Play/Pause and Next. Enable the app’s notifications, configure Phone Link notifications, turn on Show audio currently playing from my phone, and start playback on the phone. The sound stays on the Android device or its connected speakers; PC audio output requires a separate feature with separate Samsung and version requirements.
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