Deskbridge › Guides › Phone Link for Mac
Is there Phone Link for Mac? Your Android-to-Mac options in 2026
No. Microsoft's Phone Link and Samsung's Link to Windows run only on Windows, and Apple's iPhone Mirroring only works with iPhones. You can still cover most of it on a Mac with a few tools. scrcpy (free) shows and controls your phone. KDE Connect and LocalSend (free) handle notifications and files. For Galaxy owners, Deskbridge ($12) brings Samsung DeX, app windows, call banners and notifications together in one menu-bar app.
What Phone Link does, and what Mac users miss
On Windows, Phone Link (and Samsung's version of it, Link to Windows) puts your Android phone's texts, calls, notifications, photos and apps on the PC. On a Mac, Apple offers that for iPhone only, through iPhone Mirroring, Continuity and Messages. Android owners have to put it together from separate pieces. Here's what each piece does well.
The options
| Tool | Price | Best at | Doesn't do |
|---|---|---|---|
| scrcpy | Free, open source | Seeing and controlling the phone (or Samsung DeX) in a window, with audio | Notifications, calls, anything without a Terminal command |
| KDE Connect | Free, open source | Notifications, shared clipboard, sending files and links over Wi-Fi | Showing the phone's screen or apps. The macOS build is less polished than on Linux |
| LocalSend | Free, open source | Fast file and photo transfer over Wi-Fi, an AirDrop-style app for any device | Anything beyond files |
| Deskbridge | $12 once | Galaxy phones: Samsung DeX in a Mac window, phone apps in their own windows, call banners, notifications, drag-to-share | Texting from a Mac app when the phone isn't connected; non-Samsung phones get plain mirroring |
Pick by what you want
"I want to use my phone's apps on my Mac"
That needs the phone's screen streamed to the Mac. scrcpy does it for free. Add --start-app=com.whatsapp to open one app in its own window. On a Galaxy with One UI 8 or later, --new-display gives you the full DeX desktop. Deskbridge does the same with a search box and a Recent list, and opens on its own when you plug in. See running Android apps in their own Mac windows.
"I just want notifications"
KDE Connect is the free choice and works over Wi-Fi without a cable. Deskbridge sends notifications to Notification Center over the same cable (or wireless debugging) link it uses for DeX, so it only works while the phone is connected. More in Android notifications and calls on a Mac.
"I want to see who's calling"
Deskbridge shows a banner for phone calls, plus WhatsApp and other app calls if you turn that on, with Answer and Decline. The call itself stays on the phone. Your Mac doesn't become the speakerphone, which Phone Link can do on Windows.
"I just need to move files"
LocalSend or KDE Connect over Wi-Fi, or a cable with scrcpy or Deskbridge. Drag a file onto the window and it lands in the phone's Downloads. Google no longer offers its old Android File Transfer app for Mac, so it's not worth hunting down.
"I want my phone as a desktop computer"
That's Samsung DeX. Samsung retired its own DeX for PC app, but DeX still runs in a Mac window on One UI 8 or later phones, through scrcpy or Deskbridge.
What still doesn't exist on a Mac
To set expectations: no Mac tool gives you Android texting synced to the cloud that works while the phone is in another room, or uses the Mac as the microphone and speaker for phone calls. Google Messages for web covers the texting part in a browser tab, and it's free.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Phone Link available for Mac?
No. Phone Link and Samsung's Link to Windows are Windows-only. On a Mac, Android owners use separate tools: scrcpy or Deskbridge for the screen and apps, KDE Connect for notifications, LocalSend for files, and Google Messages for web for texts.
Can I text from my Mac with an Android phone?
Yes. Google Messages for web (messages.google.com) works in any Mac browser and mirrors your phone's texts. Tools that stream your phone's screen, like scrcpy or Deskbridge, also let you type replies with the Mac keyboard in any messaging app.
Can I answer Android calls on a Mac?
You can see and answer or decline them with Deskbridge, but the conversation stays on the phone. No current Mac tool turns the Mac into the speaker and microphone for an Android phone call.
What's the best free way to mirror Android to a Mac?
scrcpy. It's open source, fast, sends audio, and lets you control the phone with the Mac's keyboard and trackpad. Install it with Homebrew (brew install scrcpy) and turn on USB debugging on the phone.
Galaxy owner? Get it all in one app
Deskbridge puts Samsung DeX, your phone's apps, calls and notifications on your Mac. Free for 3 days, then $12 once.