New issue with unlocking my Samsung phone via phone link app on PC

I've seen it before where the cybersecurity guys chase theoretical security over actual security. Mandatory password changes were a great example. In the early 2000s, they decided that forcing you to change your password every so often was a great idea. Theoretically, that was so. After all, a brute force attack on a password would eventually succeed if the password never changed. Never mind that it would take 75 years to brute force a good password policy successfully. Theoretical improvement was improvement enough. What no one seemed to understand, however, was that people would simply write a password they couldn't remember on a Post-It note and keep it on their monitor. So a small theoretical improvement led to a colossal real world disimprovement. In my office at a Fortune 500 bank in a large downtown metro area, you could go to a random desk, flip the keyboard over and find the password 40% of the time. The saddest part is that it's taken 20 years for them to figure out what a bad idea it was, and STILL people are being required to change their passwords. Dumb ideas die hard.

Here again, we have a really dumb cybersecurity idea that is prompting discussion of ways to bypass security updates, install old software from un-vetted webpages and even to bypass password protection altogether. I wonder how long it will take them to realize what a stupid idea this was?

Working fine before update

Phone Link has reduced its' usefulness for sure, especially for users who require an alternative method for using their smartphone!

Technology can and should empower abilities and NOT discriminate and depower users!

I've the same issue and tried telling Samsung. They said they'll send my issue to head office. Another update did actually come on Boxing day but no change.

Updated my S20 on 16th Dec and from then the "Link to Windows" app on my PC asks me to physically unlock my phone by touching it. Prior to the update I could unlock my phone with the PC app from my laptop as the lock screen was mirroring. This was after someone helped me to press 'Start now" on my phone to initially connect after restart. But now I need to access the touchscreen each time I need to mirror/access my phone on my PC.

I have a disability and use my device called a headpointer with a rubber tip. So I cannot operate a touchscreen at all.

The "Link to Windows" app is the only way I'm able to utilise my phone.

Please consider this as an accessibility issue.

Thank you

Same here on multiple PC's. Good to know it's not just an issue with my PC's.

I am having the same issue. Not sure if this is a result of any updates to Android and/or Windows. I noticed it a few weeks ago but didn't investigate until now. For me, it is occurring on all Windows machines that I use Phone Link on, both Windows 10 and Windows 11.