Phone Link "Messages" shows phone numbers, not names and photos

Anonymous
2022-10-06T15:35:52+00:00

I use Phone Link on my Windows 11 PC to text message through my Samsung S22+ phone. I use the desktop Outlook client on my PC and have my Outlook contacts synchronize with the Samsung Contacts app on my phone. A couple of months ago, I began to notice that the names and photos of some of the people with whom I text were no longer showing up in the Phone Link "Messages" list; just their phone numbers. Also, when I clicked "+ New message" in Phone Link, and typed their name, they never showed up in the list of matching contacts from which to choose. This was very frustrating, especially since those contacts were the ones with whom I text most often.

I tried just about everything I could think of - uninstall/reinstalling Phone Link on the S22+ and my PC, multiple syncing options, etc., all to no avail. Then I noticed that the format of the number that showed up in Phone Link was different than what I had in my Outlook contacts. The numbers in Phone Link all showed up with a leading "+1" and had a dash after the area code without parentheses, like this: "+1 123-555-1212" but the numbers in Outlook Contacts showed up like this "(123) 555-1212". I thought the issue might be a database lookup problem, so I tried to enter the same number format in Outlook that appears in Phone Link: "+1 123-555-1212". But Outlook would NOT let me enter this format! It automatically put parentheses around the area code and removed the first hyphen, like this: "+1 (123) 555-1212".

When the new contacts manager for Outlook.com (Outlook on the web) was launched a short while ago, I used the Contacts editor on those contacts and WAS SUCCESSFUL in entering the phone number in the exact format that appears in Phone Link: "+1 123-555-1212". When I sync'd my contacts to my phone, PRESTO! The names and photos of those contacts reappeared in Phone Link "Messages"! So, if you are having problems seeing a phone number instead of names and photos in the Phone Link "Messages" app, try this!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-02-10T20:54:56+00:00

    Until Microsoft recognizes this is an issue, we will be looking IN VAIN for that solution!

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-02-13T16:53:45+00:00

    has anyone from MS even acknowledged this thread?

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-02-19T14:48:33+00:00

    This didn't work for me. No change.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-02-19T15:05:15+00:00

    Hi Michael,

    Below are more detailed steps to try. It does take a few minutes for Phone Link to update once complete.

    1. Close Phone Link on your computer and select disconnect in your phone.
    2. Open the Outlook App stetting's on your phone.
    3. Select your email under Mail Account.
    4. Scroll down to the bottom and select "Reset Account."
    5. Got back to Mail Account and turn Sync Contacts back on.
    6. Relaunch Phone Link on your computer, it will take a few minutes for contact names to change from phone numbers to names.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-03-02T14:07:00+00:00

    GO TO CONTACTS>MANAGE CONTACTS>SYNC CONTACTS>SELECT WHICH ACCOUNTS TO SYNC.

    In my case I toggled off and back on my Outlook and gmail accounts to refresh sync dates.

    Then I "x'd" out of phone link on my computer and reopened.

    The number i was texting with the the lost name regained its name on the screen!!!

    This solved my issue
    Thank you

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