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
    2023-01-10T16:13:42+00:00

    I was able to get the names back by removing the phone from Phone Link on my PC and removing the PC from my Android phone. Then I re-associated the connection to the phone from Phone Link and Windows Link on the Android device using the QR code. Launched Phone Link and all is well now. Did not have to reenter any contacts or numbers etc.

    Will see how long the names stay in place.

    This worked for me. The only thing that might have caused a problem is that I recently changed the email address on my personal M365 account. I don't know if that has anything to do with this problem, though.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-09T05:38:23+00:00

    I was able to get the names back by removing the phone from Phone Link on my PC and removing the PC from my Android phone. Then I re-associated the connection to the phone from Phone Link and Windows Link on the Android device using the QR code. Launched Phone Link and all is well now. Did not have to reenter any contacts or numbers etc.

    Will see how long the names stay in place.

    Hi thanks for the info.

    Just FYI, I also previously did this and it worked. But then the contacts got lost again. I did it again and it worked, but later the contacts got lost again. I gave up on constantly having to deleted and re-pair my phone just to restore basic functionality, so I don't believe this a going to be a long term solution for you.

    Hopefully I'm wrong.

    On a side note, in case it's relevant to the problem, I do use Phone Link at home and at my office. I wonder if switching between 2 computers has anything to do with it? If anyone can confirm they have this problem with a single computer setup, I'll rule it out.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-01-09T01:13:15+00:00

    I was able to get the names back by removing the phone from Phone Link on my PC and removing the PC from my Android phone. Then I re-associated the connection to the phone from Phone Link and Windows Link on the Android device using the QR code. Launched Phone Link and all is well now. Did not have to reenter any contacts or numbers etc.

    Will see how long the names stay in place.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-01-04T21:10:47+00:00

    Open the Contacts app on your phone. Find and display a contact that only displays a phone number in Phone Link Messages. Create a new phone number for that contact in the app and make sure the format of the number exactly matches what you see in Phone Link Messages. I usually do this by creating a new phone number in the"Other" category. Once you save the contact, Phone Link should be able to identify and display the name that goes with the number.

    This appears to be a bug in the algorithm that Microsoft uses to associate a name with a number using the info in your Phone's Contacts app. But there doesn't seem to be much interest in fixing it.

    The workaround that I am using is a PITA ... But it does work for me.

    Thanks for this workaround. Worked like a charm.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-01-03T23:09:03+00:00

    Just learned about the "Intel Unison" app today. It is designed to perform the same functions as Phone Link but for iPhones as well as Android phones. I installed the app from the Microsoft Store without a hitch. (A search for it in the store failed to turn up a hit but I got a link from Windows Central that worked like a champ.) I've been using it for about an hour. It is working flawlessly so far. And all of the entries in the "Messages" section of the app have names and contact photos! I'm going to have to go back and delete dozens of "Other" phone numbers from my Outlook Contacts... but it will be worth it to be done with this ridiculous workaround.

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