Having long since abandoned its own mobile operating system ambitions, Microsoft has shifted its focus to making Android phones more compatible with Windows PCs. One of the key ways it’s doing this is by introducing new cross-device features through the Phone Link app. Although the app is available for any Android device through Google Play, some of its best features are only available on select devices. Phone Link’s Instant Hotspot feature, for example, had been exclusive to Samsung phones since its launch in late 2022. Recently, however, Microsoft quietly abandoned that exclusivity.

Microsoft introduced Instant Hotspot in the Phone Link app back in October 2022. This feature lets you quickly connect your Windows PC to the internet by turning your phone into a mobile hotspot. While you can set up a mobile hotspot on almost any Android phone, Instant Hotspot saves you from having to manually turn on the hotspot on your phone and then enter a password on your PC to connect. It’s a quick and convenient way to access the internet on your Windows PC, especially when you’re on the go.

Unfortunately, not every Android phone supports Phone Link’s Instant Hotspot feature. According to a Microsoft support page, the Instant Hotspot feature is only available on Windows 11 PCs connected to Samsung devices running One UI 4.1.1 or later. The reason is that Android only allows system apps to start a tethered hotspot, which means Link to Windows – the counterpart to the Phone Link app that installs on Android devices – needs to be pre-installed by the OEM to give it these privileges. Samsung bundles Microsoft’s Link to Windows service app into One UI, which allows the Link to Windows app on Galaxy devices to access privileged features like starting or stopping a tethered hotspot.

However, Samsung is not the only Android OEM that bundles the Link to Windows Service app. BBK brands like OPPO and OnePlus also bundle the app, as does ASUS. However, phones from some of these other brands only recently started supporting the Instant Hotspot feature. A few months ago, my OnePlus Open didn’t support Instant Hotspot via Phone Link, but after a recent update, it did. I asked frequent OnePlus tipster OneNormalUsername if other OnePlus devices support Instant Hotspot, and according to him, his OnePlus 10 Pro doesn’t, but his OnePlus 12 does.

Both his OnePlus 10 Pro and OnePlus 12 use the same version of the Link to Windows app (1.24072.246.0-beta), but they have different versions of the Link to Windows Service app (2.23103.5.18.0 and 2.24014.5.35.0 respectively). I checked my OnePlus Open and it also uses the latter version of the Link to Windows Service app. On the other hand, my ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, which also comes with Link to Windows Service pre-installed, doesn’t support Instant Hotspot yet. Probably my OnePlus Open now supports the Instant Hotspot feature because it has the newer version of the Link to Windows Service app. Since this app isn’t updated via Google Play, OEMs like ASUS will likely have to release an OTA update with a newer version of the app pre-installed.

Instant Hotspot isn’t the only feature unlocked by bundling the Link to Windows service app. Android devices with Link to Windows pre-installed also get additional features like app streaming and cross-device copy and paste. However, Samsung devices still get some exclusive features in Phone Link, including the ability to view recent apps and websites and stream apps without prompting.