Microsoft Introduces AI-Powered Text Replies in Windows 11's Phone Link App

Windows 11 can now reply to your texts, as AI auto-replies arrive in Microsoft's Phone Link app

Windows 11's Phone Link app is getting an AI-powered feature that was spotted in testing earlier this year, but is now rolling out to everyone. If you need a short and succinct reply, these AI-generated messages could prove a useful little timesaver (Image Credit: Microsoft) This is 'suggested replies' which provides exactly that - short potential replies to the texts you get, within Phone Link - and this functionality is rolling out now (so not everyone will have it just yet, but it's coming). The replies are generated via AI (in the cloud, not on-device), and they will only appear for certain messages. Namely texts where the AI can actually get a handle on the conversation enough to be able to generate some possible responses. If you've ever used Gmail and seen its suggested replies to emails, you'll get the idea here. They are very brief responses along the lines of 'sounds good' or 'yes, that's great' and so on. Still, they can be convenient, even if you only use them as a starting point for a slightly lengthier subsequent reply. Microsoft told Windows Latest that the new feature is currently rolling out, and in what might be a worrying turn of events for some, the suggested replies functionality is apparently on by default. Seemingly you can choose to switch it off during Phone Link setup, though, and there's also a toggle to disable the suggested replies in the app's settings panel (under Features). So, those worried about AI nosing into their messages have some recourse here, but it should be noted that Microsoft has made it clear that the cloud-based AI system may view your text messages - clearly it must do so to engineer replies - but it isn't trained on them.

Windows 11 can now use AI to respond to your text messages | Digital Trends

Microsoft has started rolling out a helpful Suggested Replies feature in the Phone Link app that gives users AI-powered text suggestions for quick replies to their messages, the software giant stated in a Support blog post. The new feature uses Microsoft's Cloud AI models to create short replies to specific messages, resulting in faster response times. It is rolling out in Phone Link version 1.24082.137.0 for Windows 11 24H2 and 23H2. You don't need to be in the Windows Insider Program to try out the feature, but you won't see the Suggest Replies feature on all messages. You'll only see the suggestions when the Phone Link's AI can understand the message. Recommended Videos For example, you won't see the replies if the message is too long, if it notices a URL, if you get a message with offensive content, or if it is an OTP (one-time password) message. Microsoft states: "Once a user navigates to a text conversation in Phone Link, their recent text messages are uploaded to a Microsoft service to provide suggested replies within the conversation window. The customer texts are collected to provide this service and for Microsoft to improve the experience and monitor for safety and security purposes." Microsoft also relies on user feedback when the suggested replies don't meet user expectations to improve it in the future. However, Microsoft also warns users that AI can make mistakes; therefore, users are encouraged to double-check their responses before choosing one. If you want to opt out of Suggested Replies, you can go into the app's settings and choose Features > Suggested Replies. So far, there is no official information on when the feature will finish rolling out to all users. If you're unfamiliar with the app, try our handy guide and discover how to get more out of the app.