Microsoft users have been hit by a new Android update
Millions of Windows users who rely on connecting their PCs to their phones are in for a nasty surprise when they upgrade to Android 15. The Phone Link app that makes it work hasn’t hit one of Google’s new security improvements. “Some notifications are now hidden,” it will warn, “for your protection.”
Spotted by Mishaal Rahman and shared with X, the update is already causing complaints. “I confirm this is very annoying,” read one response, “as I rely heavily on mirroring notifications for my 2FA codes. There should be an option to whitelist some apps to ensure uninterrupted access to important notifications.”
As Windows Central explains, “Windows Phone Link is one of the best features of Windows 11, but with the latest Android 15 update, it’s about to become a little less useful. With Android 15, Google has implemented a new behavior that automatically removes sensitive notifications from being sent to “untrusted” notification listeners, and this will affect Phone Link on some devices.”
Microsoft confirmed this, warning that “Phone Link no longer displays notifications that contain sensitive information for your protection.” This affects Phone Link apps installed from the Play Store, not those reinstalled on devices. This seems like good news for Samsung users and bad news for Pixel users.
But in a world where Microsoft promises you can “Make and receive calls, reply to messages, check and dismiss notifications—all from your Windows PC without even taking your phone out of your pocket,” this latest change is something of a disaster.
Per Android Authority“Android 15 changes things by defining notifications with two-factor authentication codes as ‘sensitive’ and allowing only ‘trusted’ notification listeners to read them. Any ‘untrusted’ notification listener that tries to read notifications with verification codes two-factor authentication will just get a message saying “sensitive notification content is being hidden”.
It is, he says Technical Radar“a moment that reminds us that Google and Microsoft are indeed two different companies… You can still check messages, manage apps and make calls. You’ll just need to physically check your phone for some sensitive messages after installing Android 15, if you haven’t already.”
Google had warned that it was coming, explaining that “Android 15 introduces strong measures to combat one-time password (OTP) fraud and to protect sensitive user content… Key improvements include removing OTPs from notifications that are accessible to untrusted apps, hiding notifications during screen sharing, and securing app activities when OTPs are posted. These changes aim to keep sensitive user content safe from unauthorized actors.”
While no one expected this to affect something as fundamental as the connection between a user’s phone and computer, covering OTPs is critical. Warning after warning highlights Android’s vulnerability to apps that trick users into giving them permission to read texts and then steal those codes.
