Forget Microsoft Phone Link, Use KDE Connect Instead

The app also allows you to send and read text messages from the desktop: If you receive a text message on your phone, you’ll get a notification on your desktop with the option to reply. You can also right-click on the KDE Connect icon in the system tray, select your phone, and click on “SMS Messages” option to access all the SMS threads on your phone, reply to them, or even start a new thread.

However, my most used feature would be remotely controlling media playback on my PC from my phone and vice versa.

Another feature I love is getting notified of incoming calls on my desktop. When you get a call on your phone, you’ll see the caller’s name and the option to mute the call. Unfortunately, the option to receive calls right from your PC is missing.

That said, you do get the handy option to automatically pause any media playback on your PC or reduce the volume when you get a call. To enable this, go to Plugin Settings on the KDE Connect PC app and check the “Pause media during calls” option.

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And finally, you also have the option to ping or ring one device using the other. You can make your phone Ring or Ping from your PC using the KDE Connect app. Likewise, you can also send a Ping notification from your phone to your PC. The option to make your PC ring from your phone is also available, but I couldn’t get it to work on my configuration.

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Slideshow Controls

A unique and impressive feature of KDE Connect is Slideshow Controls. It allows you to control a slideshow on your PC from the KDE Connect app on your phone. You can open your Photo Gallery, Google Slides, or PowerPoint and use your phone to jump to the next or previous slides.

There’s also a Pointer tool on the phone app. You can press and hold it to generate a circular pointer, and then move your phone to move the pointer on the screen.

Transfer Large Files

With KDE Connect, you can send large files from your PC to your phone and vice versa. To send files from your PC to your phone, right-click on the KDE Connect icon in the system tray, select your phone, and then select “Send a File/URL.” A pop-up dialog box will appear from where you can either type in a URL or select a file and then send it to your phone. Alternatively, you can also browse your phone storage using KDE Connect by selecting the “Browse Device” feature and then drag and drop files between your phone and PC.

Now, to send files from your Android phone to your PC, pick the file you want to send, press the share button, and select “KDE Connect” from the list of available options. Now, pick the connected PC where you want to send the file, and the transfer will start.

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Send Two-Way Inputs Between Phone and Desktop

Arguably, one of the best features of KDE Connect is the ability to remotely control your PC from your phone and vice versa. For instance, open the KDE Connect app on your phone and click the “Remote Input” option. Now, you can use the phone screen as a trackpad to control the desktop cursor. Also, click on the Keyboard Icon at the top and use your phone’s keyboard to type on your computer.

Create Desktop Commands and Execute Them From Your Phone with KDE Connect

This is a super handy KDE Connect feature for remotely opening apps and controlling your PC with your phone. All you need to do is open the KDE Connect app on your desktop, select the connected device, go to “Plugin Settings,” scroll down and check the “Run Commands” option.

From here, you can click the “+ Add command” button and enter the command’s name for reference, along with the specific command, e.g. explorer, to open Windows File Explorer. To get you started, the app provides a few sample commands, like Lock and Unlock the screen. After setting up the commands, open the KDE Connect phone app and select “Run Command.” You’ll get all the commands you set up here.

To test, tap on “Lock Screen,” and your PC’s screen will lock. Likewise, tap on “File Explorer” to open File Explorer. You’re only restricted by your imagination at this point.

What Happened to Screen Mirroring Though with KDE Connect?

Okay, KDE Connect can’t do screen mirroring. However, it’s also a very limited feature on Phone Link that is available for Microsoft Surface Duo and a few select devices, namely Samsung Galaxy smartphones. That said, you don’t need to buy a Samsung device to have this feature. You can use Scrcpy to mirror and control your android phone on any Windows PC.

While Microsoft Phone Link offers a decent range of features, it falls short when compared to the vast feature set of KDE Connect. It gives you a great level of flexibility and control over your device, whether it be accessing phone data from your PC, or controlling your PC with your phone.