Microsoft has recently released an update for Phone Link that allows users to select and copy text from images synced from their Android phones. This feature is currently available in the Release Preview Insider builds and is expected to roll out to all users soon.
Phone Link, also known as Link to Windows on the phone side, enables users to sync calls, messages, notifications, and images, as well as mirror their entire phone screen on a Windows computer. While it also offers limited functionality with iOS devices, such as syncing notifications, messages, and calls over Bluetooth, the text extraction feature is currently exclusive to Android phones.
The addition of text extraction within the Phone Link app eliminates the need for users to use the Windows Snipping Tool for this purpose. This update simplifies the process and allows users to extract text directly within the app itself.
During testing of the OCR feature in Phone Link 1.24051.91.0 and the Insider Preview Build 22635.3646, it was found that the accuracy of the text extraction was decent. However, it was noted that there were more errors compared to text extractors on Samsung and Apple devices when extracting text from the same photo of a book page.
While the text extraction feature in Phone Link is suitable for quick and simple tasks, it may not be the most reliable option for longer passages. In such cases, users may find it more efficient to enable cross-device copy and paste, extract the text on their phone, and then transfer it to their PC.
Overall, the update to Microsoft Phone Link that allows text extraction from images on Android phones is a welcome addition to the app’s functionality. Despite some limitations in accuracy, this feature enhances the user experience and streamlines the process of transferring text from images to Windows computers. Microsoft continues to improve and innovate its software to meet the evolving needs of its users, and this update is a testament to that commitment.
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