368
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 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
71 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

@[email protected]

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] [email protected] 98 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 56 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 27 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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

[-] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

also works on GNOME! (gsconnect)

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 57 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 40 points 2 weeks 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

[-] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

@Lipriv30 @big_slap

That would be one of KDE Connects' main functions, yes. It makes sharing any kind of file (photos, videos, whatever) easy.

You can also share the content of your clipboard from your desktop to your phone and vice versa. So you would copy, say, a web address on your desktop, and you would be able to paste it into your web browser on your phone immediately.

[-] [email protected] 29 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 19 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks 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 7 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago

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

It works across networks, with no configuration

[-] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago

KDE Connect is an amazing app

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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

load more comments (5 replies)
[-] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago

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

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago

@[email protected]
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.

@[email protected]

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

I'll just leave this here:

https://kdeconnect.kde.org/

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks 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.
@[email protected]

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

closed source - true

alternative to KDE Connect - false

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

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks 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

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

This is not new. Has been there for a while

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

@[email protected] why isn't it called KDE Konnect instead of Connect?

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

@[email protected] @[email protected] 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.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

No screen mirroring though 😕

[-] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Maybe scrcpy is the tool for you then.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

It also doesn't work properly.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

I have had nothing but problems with kde connect for years

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

@[email protected] @[email protected]

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.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

@[email protected] @[email protected]

On one hand, *lame!!* Die in a fire, copycats

on the other hand, *cool!* it's not my imagination that kdeconnect is the best phone app ever. thank you to all involved!! ❤️

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Based.

And yes, KDE Connect ftw

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks 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.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024
368 points (96.0% liked)

KDE

4743 readers
63 users here now

KDE is an international technology team creating user-friendly free and open source software for desktop and portable computing. KDE’s software runs on GNU/Linux, BSD and other operating systems, including Windows.

Plasma 6 Bugs

If you encounter a bug, proceed to https://bugs.kde.org, check whether it has been reported.

If it hasn't, report it yourself.

PLEASE THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE POSTING HERE.

Developers do not look for reports on social media, so they will not see it and all it does is clutter up the feed.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]