If you are trying to integrate your smartphone with your PC, you would need the Your Phone app by Windows. However, sometimes it may so happen that the Your Phone app is not working or simply fails to open on your Windows 11/10 PC. That can be concerning since, we all need to connect and sync our phones with our systems for different personal and official purposes quite often, like receiving the notifications and messages from your smartphone or sync photos.
Although, the app constantly receives latest updates, has an improved user interface and is overall upgrade with the all new Windows 11, it is prone to errors and glitches. As mentioned, many users complain that the Your phone app is either not working sometimes or it does not start when launched. This issue can arise due to different reasons like if device sharing is not enabled on your system, Your Phone app is not allowed in the background, if a third-party antivirus is interfering with the app, or due to damaged or corrupt system files.
While these are some pf the possible reasons why Your Phone app is not working or fails to open on your Windows 11/10 PC, there can be other reasons also that may be causing the issue. In this post, we have listed a few possible solutions that help you get rid of the issue and continue using the app smoothly. Read on to know more.
Method 1: Enable App to run in the background
Chances are that the Your Phone app is closed in the background and hence, it either doesn’t open or does not work. Follow the below instructions to enable the app to run n the background:
Step 1: Press the Win + I keyboard shortcuts and this will open the Settings app.
Step 2: In the Settings app, click on the Apps option on the left side of the pane.
Now, Click on Installed Apps from the right side.
Step 3: Now, Search Phone Link in the search box.
Step 4: Wait untill your phone link app appear in the search result.
Here, click on the three vertical dots on its right and select Advanced options.
Step 5: Next, on the right side, go to the Background apps permissions section and under Let this app run in the background, select Always from the background.
Now, exit the Settings app and check if you can launch the Your Phone app and if it’s working.
Method 2: Reset your Android phone cache
If you are trying to connect your Android phone to your PC and the Your Phone app is not working or does not open, you can try to reset your Android smartphone cache. Here’s how:
Step 1: Go to the Settings app (gear icon) on your Android phone.
Step 2: Next, scroll down and tap on Apps.
Step 3: In the Apps section, scroll down and look for the Your Phone Companion app in the list.
Click on it.
Step 4: In the Your Phone Companion page, on the bottom right, tap on Force stop.
Step 5: You will see a confirmation prompt.
In the Force stop prompt, tap on OK to proceed.
Step 6: Now, back in the Phone app page, tap on the Storage and cache option.
Step 7: Here, go to the bottom and tap on Clear cache and then Clear data.
Step 8: You will then see a warning “All of this application’s data will be deleted permanently. This includes all files, settings, accounts, databases, etc.”
Press OK to confirm and proceed.
Once you are done clearing the cache and the data, you can uninstall and install the Your Phone app again if you want and now check if it’s working.
Method 3: Disable Battery Optimization
This method is also specific to your Android phone and making a small change like disabling the battery optimization can help fix the Your Phone app not working issue on your Windows 11/10 PC. Let’s see how:
Step 1: Navigate to Settings in your Android phone.
Step 2: In the Settings app, look for Battery and device care and tap on it.
Step 3: Now, in the Device care page, go to the three vertical dots on the top right and select Automation.
Step 4: Next, go to the Auto optimize daily option and turn the slider to the left to turn it off.
Once done, connect your phone with the Your Phone app on your system again and now, the app should function normally.
Method 4: Enable Notifications on Phone for the app
This method also is specific to your Android smartphone and all you need to do is to turn in the notifications on your Android smartphone for the Your Phone app. Follow the below steps to enable notifications on phone:
Step 1: Go to the Settings app on your Android smartphone.
Step 2: Tap to open Settings, scroll down and tap on Apps.
Step 3: Go to the Your Phone Companion app and tap on it.
Step 4: Next, tap on Notifications.
Step 5: In the Notifications page, turn on the Show notifications option.
*Note – The Notifications settings may differ for different phone brands and hence, allow the notifications for the app accordingly.
Now that the notifications are turned on for the app, try opening the Your Phone app and check if it’s working.
Method 5: Check If Do Not Disturb mode is enabled for both Phone and PC
It could be possible that the Do Not Disturb mode is either turned on your PC or on your Android smartphone, or on both and hence, the Your Phone app stops working on your Windows 11/10 PC or fails to open. Let’s see how to disable the DND mode on both Windows 11/10 PC and on Android Phone:
Disable DND mode on Windows 11 PC
DND or he Do Not Disturb mode in Windows 11 is done through the Focus Assist. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Win + I keys together on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
Step 2: In the Settings window, click on System on the left side.
Step 3: Now, go to the right side and click on Notifications.
Step 4: Next, Make sure Do not disturb option is turned Off.
Now, that you have turned off the Focus assist (Do not disturb) option, you can try opening the Your Phone app and it should work properly now.
Disable DND mode on Android Phone
To disable DND mode on your Android phone, follow the below instructions:
Step 1: On your android phone, tap to open the gear icon (Settings app).
Step 2: In the Settings app, tap on Notifications.
Step 3: Next, touch to open the Do not disturb option towards the bottom.
Step 4: In the Do not disturb page, move the toggle bar to the left to turn it off.
Now, connect your phone to the Your Phone app and the app should open now.
Method 6: Enable Sharing Across Devices
If your PC is not enabled for sharing data across devices to which it is linked, this can be a reason why you may encounter the Your Phone app not working issue. Here’s how to enable the sharing across devices option that will help you share your android phone data (linked to your PC) using the Microsoft account:
Step 1: Right-click on the Start button on your Taskbar and select Settings from the menu.
Step 2: In the Settings app that opens, click on System on the left side of the pane.
Step 3: Next, move your mouse to the right side and click on Nearby Sharing.
Step 4: In the next window, go to the Naerby sharing section and select My devices only.
Now, exit the Settings app and make sure that you are logged in to your system and your Android phone using the same Microsoft account. The Your Phone app problem should be fixed now.
Method 7: Temporary Disable Firewall
The Firewall of your Windows 11/10 PC can sometimes block a few apps considering it harmful even if it is not. So, can be the case with the Your Phone app. The firewall can mistakenly raise a flag for the app and mark it unsafe while trying to transfer data from your android phone and cause the app to malfunction. But if you are sure that the data that you want to transfer is safe, you can disable the Windows firewall temporarily. Let’s see how:
Step 1: Press the shortcut keys – Win + I simultaneously to open the Run command window.
Step 2: In the Run command search field, type firewall.cpl and hit Enter.
Step 3: This will open the Windows Defender Firewall in the Control Panel.
Here, click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off on the left side.
Step 4: You will now reach the Customize Settings window.
Now, under the customize settings for each type of network section, firstly, select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall option under Private network settings.
Step 5: In the same manner, select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall option under Public network settings also.
Press OK to apply the changes and exit.
Now, try opening the Phone app on your Windows 11/10 PC and connect it to your Android phone and it should work fine now.
*Note – Once your data transfer is successful, make sure that you enable the Windows Defender Firewall again to continue protecting your Windows 11/10 system.
Moreover, a lot of times, the built-in antivirus on your PC or a 3rd party antivirus may be blocking the data transfer from your Android phone to your system using the Your Phone app, considering the data malicious. In such a case, disable the antivirus temporarily and once your transfer is done, you can turn it back on.