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.

Bringing together Windows and the Apple iPhone has been an agonizing journey. Microsoft is taking another step to connect the two, providing a consistent UI and file sharing between the two platforms via the Start menu.

Microsoft has started testing various improvements to the Phone Link integration in the Windows 11 Start Menu, including an easy way to share files across devices.