Microsoft’s Phone Link “Scan Text” Feature Rolls Out Globally

Microsoft has officially launched its Phone Link platform’s latest feature, “Scan Text,” to a global audience. This feature, which allows users to extract text from images in their Android phone’s gallery, was previously available only in beta. With its recent rollout, all users can now access this powerful optical character recognition (OCR) tool.

Microsoft has been actively enhancing the Phone Link experience for Windows users. Recently, the company introduced a Managed Devices section, enabling the use of a phone as a web camera, and a feature allowing direct copying of screenshots from a phone to a desktop.

The “Scan Text” feature, designed to extract text from photos, has transitioned from the Windows Insider Program to a broader release for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users. This OCR functionality is part of the Phone Link app’s version 1.24052.124.0. Users can access it by updating their Phone Link app and looking for the Text option in the photos menu, previously labeled as Scan Text. Additionally, the feature can be quickly activated using the Ctrl + T shortcut.

To use “Scan Text,” users need Link to Windows version 1.24052.124.0 or later on their PC and the corresponding Link to Windows app on their Android device. This functionality supports several languages, though it performs best with English. When activated, the OCR tool scans the image for text, making it easy to copy information from documents, notes, or identity cards.

However, in tests conducted by Windows Latest, the feature was found to have limitations with non-English languages, highlighting an area for improvement in future updates.

While the Snipping Tool already offers OCR capabilities for text extraction from screenshots, along with features to redact or hide sensitive information, Phone Link provides a suite of other useful tools for users, enhancing overall productivity and convenience.