If you are trying to use the Phone Link app on Windows 11 but it's not getting or showing messages you have sent in Windows 11, the connection between your PC and Android phone clearly isn't working properly. This is quite common and happens on pretty much any kind of Android device, including Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Google Pixel, and other Android devices that use the Link to Windows app. But there are some easy steps that can fix it so let's get started.

Takeaways:

  1. What doesn't the Phone Link app on Windows 11 send and receive messages?
  2. Learn how to fix the Windows 11 Phone Link app not sending or receiving messages.

How to Fix Phone Link Not Receiving Messages or Showing Sent Messages in Windows 11

If the pairing system has bugged out or become corrupted, Phone Link won't send or receive messages correctly. So disconnect your phone from Phone Link, then remove the existing pairing, and complete the setup process again. With a clean pairing connection, it should start working again. This works for most other devices that connected via Bluetooth.

Allow Phone Link to run in the background

If Windows stops Phone Link from running in the background, it won't automatically receive new messages. So you'll need to make sure that it is allowed to run in the background.

  • Press Win + I to open Settings.
  • Go to System > System Components > Phone Link.
  • Click the three-dot menu and select Advanced options.
  • Under Background component permissions, choose Always or Power optimised.
  • Restart the Phone Link app.

Check your Bluetooth and internet connection

Phone Link needs both Bluetooth and the internet to communicate between both devices. So make sure that both connections are working properly.

  • Bluetooth is enabled on both devices.
  • Your phone is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data.
  • Your PC has internet access.
  • The devices remain within Bluetooth range.

Note: Some older Bluetooth versions are a little hit and miss so this could be causing a lot of the issues you are having.

Allow Link to Windows to access SMS messages

Without SMS permission, the Link to Windows app won't be able to read or sync anything.

  • Open Settings on your Android phone.
  • Go to Apps or Applications.
  • Open Link to Windows.
  • Tap Permissions.
  • Make sure SMS is set to Allow.

Restart the Phone Service in Windows

It's possible that Phone Services aren't running on your system. This is unlikely but possible so manually check to see if they are running.

  • Press Win + R.
  • Type services.msc and press Enter.
  • Double-click Phone Service.
  • If the service is running, click Stop.
  • Change Startup type to Manual.
  • Click Start.
  • Select OK to save the changes.

Open Phone Link again and check whether messages are syncing.

Repair or reset the Phone Link app

More than likely, a Windows update has broken something, so Reset the Phone Link app and see if that fixes the problem. This happens with a lot of preinstalled apps on Windows 11.

  • Open Settings.
  • Go to System > System Components > Phone Link.
  • Click the three-dot menu and choose Advanced options.
  • Select Repair and wait for the process to finish.
  • If the issue remains, click Reset and confirm the action.
  • Sign back into the app if prompted after resetting it.

Once you have done this on Windows, reset or clean install the app on your phone as well. It's best to make sure that you have checked both pieces of the puzzle.