Phone screen allows you to interact with all your favorite Android apps and device content directly on your PC, through a Wi-Fi connection.
To use phone screen, you'll need:
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A PC running Windows 10 (October 2018 Update or later). However, we always recommend updating to the latest version available.
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To check and update your Windows version, on your PC go to Settings > Updates & Security > Check for updates.
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To confirm you are running the Windows 10 October 2018 Update or later, on your PC go to Settings > System > About and check your version number under Windows specifications. It should read either 1809 or higher).
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Your PC also needs to be using a graphics card (GPU) that supports DirectX11. Learn how to check your version of DirectX
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Your Android device and PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
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You will need to have a supported Android device. Check the list of supported devices to verify that yours will work.
On your PC:
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Open the Phone Link and go to Phone screen.
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Follow the setup instructions. You may receive a permissions request to access information on your Android device. Allowing these permissions lets the Phone Link display content from your device.
If you encounter issues while setting up Phone screen, these troubleshooting tips may help.
What devices are supported?
Phone screen is available on Android devices in select markets running Android 9.0 or greater that have Link to Windows pre-installed.
Here are some examples of devices that have Link to Windows pre-installed and will work with Phone screen:
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Surface Duo
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Samsung Galaxy Note9 series
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Samsung Galaxy S9 series
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Samsung Galaxy Note10 series
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Samsung Galaxy S10 series
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Samsung Galaxy S20 series
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Samsung Galaxy S21 series
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Samsung Galaxy S22 series
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Samsung Galaxy S23 series
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Samsung Galaxy Note20 series
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Samsung Galaxy Fold
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
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HONOR Magic4 Pro
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HONOR Magic6 series
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OnePlus series
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OPPO Find series
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OPPO Reno series
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Realme series
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ROG Phone 8
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ROG Phone 8 Pro
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ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition
How do I interact with Phone screen?
You can use your PC’s mouse, trackpad, keyboard, or touch-enabled screen to open, type, scroll, and interact with apps.
Tips for interacting using mouse and keyboard:
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Single click will behave as any single touch tap interaction
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Right click anywhere on your Android device screen to navigate to the previous page
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Click and hold to open a context menu
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Click and hold and drag for text selection
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Mouse scroll to move screen vertically
Some games and apps might not respond to interactions from a mouse or keyboard connected to your PC. You'll need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.
Gestures such as the ones used to navigate back or to the home screen on the device can be replicated with your mouse on your PC by clicking and dragging quickly from the edge of your Android device screen window. If you have trouble replicating them, we recommend turning on 3-button navigation:
You can enable 3-button navigation on your Surface Duo for easier interaction. In your device Settings, go to System > Gestures > System navigation and turn on 3-button navigation.
How do I switch keyboard language or layout?
When you type using your PC’s keyboard the layout and language is controlled by a setting on your Android device for physical keyboards. It won’t be affected by the language of the keyboard you’re using on your PC.
You can click on the keyboard language button when you are using the phone screen feature. This will launch the keyboard language settings where you can choose the language of your preference.
When you are using a physical keyboard with the Phone Link, you can also manually change your language or layout settings at any time.
On your Android device:
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Open your Settings > General Management > Language and input.
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If you have a Surface Duo, go to Settings > System instead.
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Under keyboards, tap Physical keyboard.
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Select the keyboard that you’re using on your Android device (E.g. SwiftKey, Microsoft Virtual Keyboard, or Samsung Keyboard).
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Choose a language or layout.
You’ll need to change this setting whenever you want to type using another layout or language.
Tip: When using Phone screen, if you have multiple languages or layouts added, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Space to switch languages.
Why has my device’s screen turned off while using phone screen?
We provide you with the option to have your Android phone screen turn black while connected in phone screen. In this state, your screen will appear to be off—this is to protect the privacy of your personal phone content and minimize battery consumption.
How to interact with the black screen
There are several ways you can dismiss the black screen if you need to interact directly with your Android phone:
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Press the power button
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Swipe your device screen
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Activate Bixby
However, if you receive a call while the black screen is active, your screen will appear as normal.
How to disable the black screen
If you’d like to use phone screen without the black screen showing, follow the steps below.
On your PC:
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In the Phone Link, open Settings.
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In the Phone screen section, find the option to Hide my Android device’s screen while it’s connected to my PC. Turn this toggle off. You can change this setting at anytime if you’d like the black screen to show again.
Note: This setting is not available for Surface Duo.
