On Thursday, Microsoft announced that it would be rolling out a new feature that would give users instant access to a hotspot on their smartphone via Phone Link on PC. The Instant Hotspot feature is being released as part of the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build. It allows users to securely connect to their smartphone’s Wi-Fi network without touching their phone. However, this feature is currently only compatible with select Samsung Galaxy devices. Furthermore, this update also includes a number of other changes, improvements, and bug fixes.
The Windows 11 The old 25231 insider preview is release via Microsoft on Thursday. This update is currently only available to members of the Windows Insider Program Development Channel. When the user’s smartphone is within range of the system, it will automatically appear on the list of Wi-Fi networks.
From here, users will be able to single-click the device’s Wi-Fi link to turn it on and connect to its hotspot. It won’t ask users to go through their smartphone’s hotspot settings or enter a password. However, users will need to pair their smartphone and PC first.
Users will first need to have Windows 11 version 22H2 Build 22621 or later to install this preview build. The Phone Link desktop app will also have to be version 1.22082.111.0 or later. Finally, users will be required to install the Windows Phone app version v1.22082.142.0 or later on their Samsung device.
To use this new feature, users need to have a Samsung Galaxy device running on One UI 4.1.1 or later and a SIM card plan capable of hotspot tethering. Their PC will also be required to support both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
This Windows 11 Insider pre-build also includes a tablet-optimized taskbar and System Tray improvements, which were previously only available to select users. A bug that caused applications like Paint and Windows Terminal to hang has also been fixed.
