Recently, Microsoft announced that its Phone Link app on Windows 11 would be receiving support for iPhone devices. Android users have long been enjoying the fruits of the Phone Link app and now iPhone users can get a taste too.

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Phone Link has been available for Android users since Windows 10

Phone Link is an app by Microsoft that allows you to be in sync with your Android phone and have almost complete access to it. With Phone Link, you can attend all incoming calls, messages and notifications on your Android phone through your Windows PC. This comes in pretty handy as you can decide whether the constant vibrations coming from the phone in your pocket is worth the hassle or not.

If you don’t feel like taking your phone out of your pocket, here’s some good news for you; you don’t need to. Phone Link allows you to make calls and send messages all from your PC. It’s easy to see why Phone Link is such an essential app for many Windows users.

Phone Link support for iPhone has only come out a short while ago. Because it’s a very new development, it has limited features, but Microsoft is working on improvements. Currently at the time of writing, iPhone users are limited to making and receiving calls, sending and receiving texts to individual contacts only via iMessage , access contacts, view and dismiss notifications.

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Using Phone Link on Windows 10

You cannot currently send texts to group chats on iMessage. You also cannot send image or video messages. Furthermore, your chat history will not be synched , and you will only be able to see and keep a log of messages you received or sent after synching your iPhone with Phone Link. Unlike Android, you also cannot run your iPhone apps on your PC through Phone Link.

To use Phone Link with iPhone, you’ll require:

  • A PC/laptop with Windows 11
  • An iPhone with iOS 14 or later
  • A Microsoft account
  • Bluetooth functionality on both PC and iPhone
  • The latest version of the Phone Link app on Windows

Although Phone Link comes pre-installed on most Windows 11 PCs, check whether you have it on your PC or not. If not, download the app from the Microsoft Store .

  1. First off, you need to launch the Phone Link app. To do this, click on Start . Click on Start on the bottom part of the screen
  2. Now, search for Phone Link and click on the app when it shows up in the results. Click on Open . In the Search bar, type Phone Link and click on Open after selecting the app from the results
  3. From the app’s launch screen, choose iPhone . Ensure your PC’s Bluetooth is turned on. Select iPhone from the app launch screen
  4. Next, scan the QR code shown on the screen with your iPhone using any QR code scanning app to install the Phone Link app for iOS. Scan the QR code shown on your PC with your iPhone
  5. After the app has been installed on your iPhone, open it. The app will ask for permission to use Bluetooth. Allow it and pair your iPhone with your PC via Bluetooth. Connect your iPhone with your PC via Bluetooth by tapping Continue
  6. Finally, grant the required permissions to the Phone Link iOS app so that it can access your iPhone’s notifications and allow you to make/receive calls and messages directly from your PC. Click on Show me how to see how you can grant the permissions
  7. You’re done! You can now view your contacts and message them via iMessage from the Messages tab, or you can make/receive calls from the Calls tab. All your notifications will be logged on the Notifications sidebar present on the left side of the window. You can now receive notifications, message and call someone through your iPhone directly from your PC

Pictures used in step 5–7 sourced from Tricknology .

The Future of the iOS and Windows Combo

Adding iOS support to Phone Link is a great way of improving accessibility and increasing productivity. With this initiative, Microsoft proves that an iOS and Windows combo is sustainable and has the potential to become a great dynamic.

Although the current number of limitations make it seem underwhelming, Microsoft is actively working on adding support for more devices and new features, while also improving the existing ones.

At the time of writing, no. Microsoft has confirmed that it is working on adding iPad support, so all hope is not lost.

Unfortunately, no. Keep in mind that this is a relatively new feature and only offers limited functionality right now.

Currently, there’s no way to access your chat history or see previous chats through Phone Link.

You can access the photos on your iPhone on your Windows PC; just not via Phone Link. The Photos app on Windows 11 has native iCloud support, so make sure your photos are backed up before trying to access them.

Regrettably, no.

How to Fix “Printer is in an error state” Issue?

The error “ WinRAR Error: Next Volume Is Required ” usually appears when you’re extracting a multi-part RAR archive and WinRAR can’t find (or can’t correctly identify) the next file in the sequence . This often happens when a volume is missing , stored in a different folder , or renamed in a way that breaks the archive’s expected order .

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In this guide, we’ll go over the most reliable fixes confirmed by affected users, along with what each method is doing behind the scenes so you can choose the right one for your situation.

Important: To extract multi-volume archives, you should always start extraction from the first file in the set. This is usually file.part1.rar , or (in older sets) the main .rar file that comes before .r01 , .r02 , and so on.

1. Download and Place the Missing RAR File

WinRAR needs all parts of a multi-volume archive to complete extraction. This error usually appears when one of the volumes in a set like .part2.rar , .r01 , .r02 , .001 , and similar naming formats is missing . Downloading the missing volume and placing it in the same folder as the other parts allows WinRAR to continue extracting normally .

  1. Look at the error message or review the list of archive parts in the folder.
  2. Identify which volume is missing (for example, part2.rar , .r02 , .001 , etc.).
  3. Go back to the website or source where you downloaded the archive.
  4. Locate and download the exact missing file using the same naming format as the others.
  5. Make sure the new file name matches the pattern of the rest. Example: If you have file.part1.rar and file.part3.rar , the missing one must be file.part2.rar .
  6. Move the downloaded missing volume into the same folder as the other archive parts.
  7. Confirm that all parts are in a single folder before extracting.
  8. Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1 or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
  9. WinRAR should now detect all volumes and continue extraction normally .

2. Manually Browse & Select the Next Volume

Use this method only if the next volume already exists , but WinRAR is failing to detect it automatically. This can happen due to incorrect naming , the file being in a different location , or a temporary file access issue. Manually browsing helps WinRAR locate the correct volume and resume extraction without interruption .

  1. Right-click the first file in the series (usually .rar or part1.rar ) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
  2. When WinRAR cannot find the next volume, it will show the “ Next Volume Is Required ” message.
  3. A small window will appear, allowing you to manually select the next volume .
  4. Use the file explorer window to locate the folder where the other archive parts are saved.
  5. Select the next part based on the naming order (example: select file.part2.rar after file.part1.rar ).
  6. Make sure the selected file matches the naming format of the archive (no extra characters like (1) and no mismatched numbering).
  7. WinRAR will resume extraction using the selected volume .
  8. If additional volumes are missing or stored separately, WinRAR may prompt you again. Repeat the same process until extraction completes.

3. Rename the RAR files in Order

WinRAR relies on a proper naming sequence (such as file.part1.rar , file.part2.rar , file.part3.rar ) to extract multi-volume archives. If a file is named incorrectly, contains extra characters, or is out of order, WinRAR may fail to locate the next volume and show this error. Renaming the files correctly helps WinRAR follow the sequence and extract the archive without interruptions .

Note: Renaming only changes the file name , not the file contents. The goal is to restore the correct sequence so WinRAR can detect the next volume.

  1. Go to the folder where all the RAR files are saved.
  2. Make sure all parts of the archive are present and stored in the same folder .
  3. Check how the parts are currently named . Common patterns include:
file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
file.rar, file.r01, file.r02, file.r03
  1. Look for files that don’t match the expected numbering pattern (for example, file.part01.rar , file.part1(1).rar , or unrelated names).
  2. Rename each file so it follows the same order without extra characters or mismatched numbering. Example:
Incorrect: file.part1.rar, file.part3.rar, file.part2(1).rar
Correct: file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
  1. Make sure the text before the number is exactly the same for all files.
  2. Only the last part number should change.
  3. Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1.rar or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here .
  4. WinRAR should now recognize the sequence and continue extraction normally .

If you still get the same prompt: the archive set is likely incomplete (a part was never downloaded or was removed), or one of the volumes is corrupt and must be re-downloaded from the original source.