Phone Link calls vs browser calling: what each needs and when it works

How do Phone Link calls work?

Phone Link is a relay, not a phone service. The Windows app links to your Android phone or iPhone over Bluetooth, and the PC becomes the dial pad, microphone and speaker for the phone's calls^[1]. The call itself still goes out over the phone's mobile line; on Android, Microsoft says it uses the primary SIM^[3].

From Microsoft's support pages, which I read on November 1, 2026, three consequences follow:

• The phone must stay close. Calls work within Bluetooth range, and power problems or distance can disrupt them^[1]. Microsoft gives no range in feet or meters.
• It is your mobile line. On Android, calls use the phone's primary SIM, with no dual-SIM choice^[3], so each one is an ordinary call on your plan.
• It is Windows only. Microsoft lists Windows 10 and 11 PCs^[2]; I found no Mac or web version.

Carrier Wi-Fi Calling is something else: a feature of your mobile line^[7], explained in Wi-Fi Calling versus a browser call.

What do you need to make calls with Phone Link?

A Windows 10 or 11 PC with Bluetooth, and either an Android phone on version 10 or later with the Link to Windows app or an iPhone on iOS 16 or later, which also needs Bluetooth Low Energy on the PC^[2]. If Bluetooth is off on either side, calls don't work at all^[1].

From Microsoft Support, checked November 1, 2026.

How do you place a call with Phone Link?

Once the phone is linked, open the Phone Link app, choose Calls, search for a contact or type the number, then select the Dial icon^[1]. The first time, you also pair the phone by scanning a QR code^[2] and, on Android, allow the calling permissions the phone asks for^[1].

1. Open Phone Link: type its name in the search box on the taskbar, and sign in with your Microsoft account if asked^[2].
2. Pair the phone by scanning the QR code shown on the PC: with the Link to Windows app on Android, with the default camera on an iPhone^[2].
3. On Android, allow the permissions the phone asks for the first time you use calling^[1].
4. Select Calls, search for a name or number, and select the Dial icon. For phone menus, open the keypad from the dropdown in the call window^[1].

When Phone Link calls don't connect

• Bluetooth: turn it off and on; if that fails, remove the pairing on both the phone and the PC and set up Calls again^[3].
• Do Not Disturb on the PC: it may silence call notifications^[3].
• Battery optimization: on some Android phones it interrupts the link; turn it off for Link to Windows^[3].
• Other pairing apps: a manufacturer's app such as Intel Unison may conflict with Phone Link calling^[3].

How does a browser dialer differ from Phone Link?

A browser dialer never touches your phone. The web page uses the browser's built-in WebRTC to carry your voice to the service^[8], which hands the call to the ordinary phone network^[9]. It works with the phone switched off or in another city, on any computer with a supported browser, but you pay per minute or accept a free tier's limits.

The route from a browser tab to a landline has its own explainer. What each dialer asks of you, from the pages I read on November 1, 2026:

• Google Voice calls almost all US and Canada numbers free from the US^[4], but personal accounts work only in the US^[10], and sign-up texts a code to a phone you already have^[11].
• TwinPhone, which sponsors this site, signs you up with an email or Google account and no phone number, and runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave and Safari^[12]. It charges $0.02 a minute to US and Canada numbers^[5], from credit of at least $10^[13], with no free tier^[14].
• Yolla Web charges $0.01 a minute to US numbers^[6] and makes outgoing calls only^[15]. Yolla's app registers you with a phone number^[16]; the Yolla Web page doesn't say which details its own sign-up asks for^[15].

On these rate cards Yolla's starting prices are lower than TwinPhone's: UK mobiles cost $0.10 a minute^[17] against $0.12^[5], and India $0.0239^[18] against $0.08^[5]. TwinPhone's numbers cover only the US, Canada and Puerto Rico^[19], and its pages disagree on reach: 145+ countries on one^[12], 165 destinations on the rate card^[5].

Phone Link or a browser dialer: how do they compare?

The deciding question is where your phone is. With the phone linked and nearby, Phone Link calls go out on your own mobile line and number^[1][3]. With the phone elsewhere, flat or not owned at all, only a browser dialer works, and it also runs on computers that aren't Windows.

From official help pages and rate cards, November 1, 2026. No test calls were placed.

When does each one make sense?

Phone Link suits the calls you would make on your phone anyway, from your desk and with your own number. A browser dialer covers what Phone Link can't: no phone nearby, no phone at all, a computer that isn't running Windows, or a Bluetooth headset you want to talk through.

• Phone on the desk, own number wanted: Phone Link, since the call goes out on your phone's line^[3].
• Phone at home, flat or broken: a browser dialer; Phone Link needs the linked phone within Bluetooth range^[1].
• No phone at all: Phone Link can't help, because it links a phone to the PC^[2]. PopTox advertises free calls with no account^[25], up to 5 a day to the same number^[26], and TwinPhone signs you up with an email^[12].
• A Mac or Chromebook: a Mac relays calls from an iPhone on the same Apple Account^[27], as my Mac guide explains; on a Chromebook, the browser does the calling.

If a browser dialer is your answer, every service I compared, side by side shows how each scores for a reader in the US.

Can you make emergency calls with Phone Link?

Don't count on it. Microsoft says emergency calls may be possible through Phone Link, but it is not a replacement for your primary phone service, calls can be disrupted by power or distance, and no rule requires it to offer emergency access^[1]. For iPhones, Microsoft adds that Phone Link is not intended to carry calls to hospitals or law enforcement^[1].

Dial 911 or 112 on the phone itself. Browser dialers are no backup: Yolla and TwinPhone exclude emergency numbers^[23][14], and Google Voice offers 911 only on paid plans^[24]; emergency calls from a computer covers the details.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Guides

  Calling from a Mac: the iPhone relay, FaceTime or a browser dialer

  Phone calls on a Mac: Calls from iPhone and the Phone app, FaceTime for Apple users, and Safari web dialers for a Mac with no iPhone, with costs and limits.

• Guides

  How to call on a Chromebook in 2026, step by step

  I checked the ways to make phone calls on a Chromebook: what Phone Hub can't do, Google Voice, web dialers and Android apps, with the steps and current costs.

• Countries

  How to call Mexico from the US: the dial string, the 10-digit rule and costs

  How to call Mexico from the US: dial 011 52 and the 10-digit number. Why 044, 045 and the extra 1 are gone, and the Mexico rates I checked on 1 Nov 2026.