Microsoft is bringing your iPhone to the Windows 11 Start menu

Microsoft added a side panel to the Start menu in the Windows 11 2024 update last year that allowed Android users to get quick access to a phone’s battery status, notifications, messages, calls, and photos. Now, Microsoft is getting ready to bring a similar experience to iPhone owners with Windows 11 laptops or PCs.

Windows Insiders can now start experimenting with iPhone access from the Start menu in Windows 11. “This seamless integration allows iPhone users to enjoy the same benefits as Android users, including ability to view phone’s battery status and connectivity, ability to access messages and calls, and keeping track of the latest activities, all conveniently integrated into the Start menu,” explains Microsoft in a blog post.

This latest Start menu feature is a continuation of Microsoft’s Phone Link feature that it has been improving in recent years. In 2023 it was updated to let you use iMessage from your PC, which works by using Bluetooth to intercept incoming messages and then takes advantage of how Apple forces you to use iMessage to send texts to other iPhone users.

You’ll also be able to share files between an Android or iPhone device through this new Start menu interface, making it quicker to transfer photos or documents between a Windows PC and a phone. Microsoft first started testing iPhone file sharing for Windows PCs in December, and it also allows you to share files through the native “Share” feature in Windows 11.

Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta Channels will be able to access these new Start menu features, after which Microsoft will likely roll them out to all Windows 11 users in the coming months.