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Phone Link is Microsoft's late and closed source alternative to KDE Connect. It requires you sign in to a Microsoft Account for it to work. (cdn.masto.host)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by kde@floss.social to c/kde@lemmy.kde.social

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Phone Link is Microsoft's late and closed source alternative to KDE Connect. It requires you sign in to a Microsoft Account for it to work.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/phone-link-requirements-and-setup-cd2a1ee7-75a7-66a6-9d4e-bf22e735f9e3

This means all the transactions between your phone and your PC are monitored and sucked up by Microsoft.

@kde@lemmy.kde.social

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[-] silverdiamond@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Apart from screen mirroring and sms that everyone has mentioned the proprietary alternative undeniably has more features. I don't know whether it is phone link or link to windows but one of them has a feature where your phone can be used as a webcam over WiFi. As someone who set up ip webcam on my phone and used obs virtual camera through most of the pandemic's online classes it's quite useful and I'd like to see features like that just work and are not relying on mjpeg and proprietary software on the phone end. Their auto hotspot feature i haven't gotten to work and i think is useless but I'm thankful that i don't have to turn off kde connect when using samsung dex.

[-] b100dian@mastodon.social 0 points 4 days ago

@kde@floss.social @kde@lemmy.kde.social
Wasn't MS "Your phone" available for 5+ years? I mean, I know KDE connect is since 10+ years, but how is this news? Change of naming?

[-] Bro666@social.tchncs.de 1 points 4 days ago

@b100dian @kde@floss.social @kde@lemmy.kde.social

Here's the thing: firstly, There are people who don't know things you do. if you already knew about this, this post is not for you. It's for the people who were not aware of the dangers of using Microsoft's alternative.

Secondly: KDE is not a news agency. Their main mission is to inform, sometimes of stuff that is old, but persevering in time, and often their posts will not cover the headlines of the day. But that doesn't matter, because they are not a news agency.

[-] BennyHill@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago

It requires you sign in to a Microsoft Account for it to TRY TO work

ftfy, i wanted to give it a shot one time and it literally didnt work, at all. all of Microsofts cross device features are a hot mess, like how you are supposed to be able to share the clipboard between logged in windows PCs, never could get that working either.

[-] mox 98 points 1 week ago

KDE Connect also runs on more operating systems. It's worth mentioning to friends who run Windows.

[-] jbk@discuss.tchncs.de 55 points 1 week ago

You can even connect e.g. Android devices with each other! No PC/laptop needed!

[-] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 26 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

This feature is epic. Being able to save a file to my phone from my tablet or vice versa is fantastic.

[-] iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee 8 points 1 week ago

Ahh this one I didn't know! Awesome thanks!

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[-] BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

Easiest way for me to transfer my ROMs to my Steam Deck, even while using it in Windows

[-] hushable@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

also works on GNOME! (gsconnect)

[-] leopold@lemmy.kde.social 6 points 1 week ago

like most apps on Linux, kde connect was never exclusive to any desktop. you don't need gsconnect.

[-] Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

I was not aware that KDE Connect ran on Windows! This is great to hear for recommendations. Thanks for spreading awareness!

[-] loutr@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

It works on all platforms, I work on mobile apps so I have quite a few Androids and iPhones, as well as a linux laptop and a Mac mini. It works seamlessly between all of those.

[-] Bro666@social.tchncs.de 6 points 1 week ago

@loutr @Kalcifer

You don't even need to connect computer anywhere. You can connect, say, your iPad with your Android phone and share stuff from one to another.

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[-] alyth@lemmy.world 57 points 1 week ago

Look what they need just to mimic a fraction of our power

[-] big_slap@lemmy.world 40 points 1 week ago

KDE Connect is one of the most useful app on my phone, and I can't believe I went as long as I did without knowing about it

[-] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 week ago

Same, I now understand the Apple fanboys, is fucking awesome when your PC connects to your phone and things works.

[-] Lipriv30@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

How does KDE work in regards to sharing content between computer and phone?

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[-] AVincentInSpace@pawb.social 29 points 1 week ago

Interesting that they bothered to make this considering KDE Connect already works on Windows

[-] iturnedintoanewt@lemm.ee 19 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'm sure it might stop working soon enough. For your safety.

[-] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago

The only unique (I think?) thing about phone link is that it enables you to use your Android phone camera as a webcam, which can be handy if you don't have a quality webcam. I think its only in the beta version though.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago

Audio and video sharing would be really handy. I wonder if KDE connect might do this at some point

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[-] istanbullu@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 week ago

KDE Connect is an amazing app

[-] refalo@programming.dev 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

when it works. but it's so incredibly buggy, especially the desktop apps, and double especially the sms desktop app. holy shite is it terrible, and trying to get support is like trying to report a problem to google

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[-] Lightfire228@pawb.social 20 points 1 week ago

I wonder if KDE connect could leverage the way Syncthing does device discovery and pairing

It works across networks, with no configuration

[-] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 week ago

Phone link is SHIT, it only works sometimes and never when ya need it to

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[-] ulfi@troet.cafe 17 points 1 week ago

@kde@floss.social
Not anyone know that KDE connect works on all devices, Android to android, Linux to Windows and all combinations.

So no need to use something like a bad copy from Microsoft.

@kde@lemmy.kde.social

[-] csolisr@hub.azkware.net 1 points 6 days ago

@kde @ulfi About the only thing missing from KDE Connect so far is support for file and screen sharing between Android and Windows. But that's mostly a software issue.

[-] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

I'll just leave this here:

https://kdeconnect.kde.org/

[-] Tejas@floss.social 12 points 1 week ago

@kde
#kdeconnect is really awesome. The only negative point is that it won't allow you to send multiple files simultaneously. We have to send each file separately. If possible, please provide it soon.
@kde@lemmy.kde.social

[-] SloppilyFloss@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 week ago

KDE Connect mounts your phone as a network folder in Dolphin. You could copy multiple files and paste them into a folder in your phone through Dolpin as a workaround.

[-] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 4 points 1 week ago

That's my problem with KDE. Probably the one most useful feature it could implement, it doesn't have.

[-] Lojcs@lemm.ee 11 points 1 week ago

This is not new. Has been there for a while

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[-] woelkchen@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

KDE Connect and Phone Link only have partial feature overlap. I prefer KDE Connect but to claim that either is a proper alternative for the other is wrong, unless I missed that KDE Connect supports casting the phone's screen to PCs and launching phone apps from there.

[-] englislanguage 9 points 1 week ago

There is scrcpy for that and you can launch arbitrary commands from KDE Connect too.

[-] woelkchen@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

There is scrcpy for that and you can launch arbitrary commands from KDE Connect too.

I'm fully aware of that but the scrcpy feature set is not integrated into KDE Conenct, therefore the features overlap to a degree but aren't the same. Phone Link allows to launch apps from Windows, KDE Connect doesn't offer the same. That's no diss or anything, just stating facts.

[-] thirstyhyena@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

closed source - true

alternative to KDE Connect - false

requires you sign in to a Microsoft Account for it to work - true

[-] Damage@slrpnk.net 10 points 1 week ago

you've got to place two spaces at the end of the text before every return if you want a
new line, otherwise two returns give you a

new paragraph

[-] elfin@mstdn.social 7 points 1 week ago

@kde@floss.social @kde@lemmy.kde.social Which, funny enough, is Precisely Why I run KDE Connect.

Also, I don't let my androids fraternize with Windows machines, I'd have to boil them all later because, ew.

[-] guiguinofake@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

@kde@floss.social why isn't it called KDE Konnect instead of Connect?

[-] Norodix@mastodon.social 6 points 1 week ago

@kde@floss.social @kde@lemmy.kde.social
Kde connect is awesome!

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[-] YourPrivatHater@ani.social 6 points 1 week ago

It also doesn't work properly.

[-] canis_majoris@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Number one reason right here.

I have gotten Your Phone to work maybe a half a dozen times. KDE Connect just works, full stop.

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[-] Galapagon@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 week ago

No screen mirroring though 😕

[-] englislanguage 11 points 1 week ago

Maybe scrcpy is the tool for you then.

[-] natan_krea@masto.es 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

@kde@floss.social @kde@lemmy.kde.social

KDE connect es ya un buque insignia de la conectividad para los amantes del #softwarelibre y si no es por KDE ni sabríamos que Gates ha sacado una nueva basura al mercado.

[-] AeroLemming@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Does KDE connect actually work with SMS on Windows now? Last time I used it, I couldn't text people, only reply using the notification if they texted me and I happened to click on it quickly enough. Pretty useless.

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[-] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I turned on phone link once. Had a hell of a time getting it to not connect to my phone.

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this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024

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