An upcoming version of Microsoft Corp.'s Phone Link app for Windows 11 users will add the ability to select and copy text from images synced from Android phones. The feature, currently in beta testing, is expected to be widely available soon.
What Happened: According to a report by The Verge, the new feature is an upgrade to Microsoft's Phone Link, formerly known as Link to Windows on the phone side.
The app allows the synchronization of calls, messages, notifications, and images from Android phones to Windows computers.
This comes after Microsoft updated the Windows Snipping Tool with a text extraction feature, allowing users to extract text from phone photos.
The latest update streamlines this process by enabling in-app text extraction.
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The report adds that the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology performed well enough, although it made more errors than Samsung or Apple’s text extractors when used on the same photo of a book page.
Why It Matters: This development is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to enhance its Windows platform.
In March 2023, Microsoft’s Phone Link app enabled Apple users to access iMessage on Windows, breaking down barriers between the two operating systems.
A year later, Microsoft introduced one of the best features of Apple’s Macs to its Windows platform that allowed users to use their Android devices as webcams
The latest update to Phone Link continues this trend, further bridging the gap between different operating systems and enhancing user experience.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Microsoft
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