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

98 points

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

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56 points

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

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27 points
*

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

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9 points

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

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25 points

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

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10 points

also works on GNOME! (gsconnect)

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6 points

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

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9 points

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

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6 points

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.

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6 points

@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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3 points

Is there a port for M Macs? I’m missing it so much now that I don’t have Linux on the laptop.

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-1 points

What’s preventing you from installing Asahi Linux?

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57 points

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

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40 points

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

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15 points

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

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4 points

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

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4 points

@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.

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29 points

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

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19 points
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I’m sure it might stop working soon enough. For your safety.

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5 points

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.

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7 points

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

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1 point

I’m not sure if this is a Pixel feature or if its available across all of Android, but there is an option when you connect over USB to connect your phone as a webcam - but that is of course tethered instead of being wireless.

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1 point

With phone link I have tested the beta version and you can use your phone camera wirelessly after initial setup. At least I was able to do this using a Redmi Note 9s without any obvious issues, apart from the privacy concerns noted elsewhere.

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20 points

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

It works across networks, with no configuration

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