Your Phone App not working in Windows 11: How to Fix

In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of Your Phone App not working in Windows 11. As opposed to the Apple ecosystem, the Android and Windows user doesn’t have any common platform where they could easily sync data and share content in order to streamline their workflow. To bridge this gap, Microsoft released the Your Phone app that takes a few steps in the right direction.

You could easily get hold of most of your smartphone files and folders, check out notifications, or place and receive calls, right from your PC itself. Then if you own a Samsung device, there would be a few additional goodies such as the ability to share clipboard contents across your PC and smartphone. All in all, it does behold quite a few nifty features up its sleeves. However, there are still a few rough edges that need to be addressed and it is quite visible once you use this software.

Then in the latest OS build, the list of issues only keeps on growing. Be it the notification not appearing, inability to sync device, or the fact the app refuses to even launch in the first place are just some of the common errors faced by the userbase. If you are also getting bugged with this issue, then this guide is here to help you out. In this tutorial, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of Your Phone App not working in Windows 11. Follow along

Your Phone App not working in Windows 11

Do note that there’s no universal fix as such. You will have to try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then check which one spells out success. So with that in mind, let’s get started.

FIX 1: Use Windows Store App Troubleshooter

Windows has baked in quite a few troubleshooter apps into the OS. In this regard, one of them focuses specifically on scanning and rectifying the issues in apps that have been downloaded from the Windows Store. As of now, we will be using this app to fix the issue with the Your Phone App. So let’s put it to the test right away.

1. Use the Windows+I shortcut keys to open the Settings menu.
2. Then go System from the left menu bar and scroll to the Troubleshooter section.
3. After that, go to Other Troubleshooters and click Run next to Windows Store Apps.
   
4. The troubleshooter will now scan for issues and shall bring in the associated fixes as well.
5.  Just click on a fix to implement it and then restart your PC to activate it.
6. Once your PC boots up, check if it fixes the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11.

FIX 2: Remove Background Restrictions

Your phone App isn’t known to function along the expected lines if your PC has any background restrictions put in place. This is because it constantly needs to be running its sync services in the background. So you should consider giving it a relatively higher degree of liberty when it comes to its backend functions. In this regard, there are two different approaches that you could. One involves the use of the Settings Menu whereas the other requires Group Policy Editor. It is recommended that you implement both these fixes. Here’s how:

Via Settings Menu

1. Use the Windows+I shortcut keys to open the Settings menu.
2. Then select Apps from the left menu bar and go to the Apps and Features section.
3. Now scroll to the Your Phone app, click on the overflow icon next to it and select Advanced Options.
4. After that, select Always from the drop-down menu under “Background App Permissions”.
   

Via Group Policy Editor

1. To begin with, enable the Group Policy Editor on your Windows 11 PC.
2. Then open Run via Windows+R shortcut, type in the below command, and hit Enter.
3. This shall open the Local Group Policy Editor. Navigate to the following location using its left menu bar:

   Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\App Privacy​

4. Now double click on the Let Windows apps run in the background policy to open it.
   
5. After that, select Enabled and then choose Force Allow next to Default for All Apps.
   
6. Finally, click Apply > OK to save the changes.
7. Check if removing the background restrictions manages to fix the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11.

FIX 3: Allow Sharing Across Devices

You should also verify that your PC is allowed to share data across devices. If this option has been disabled, then the data exchange wouldn’t be possible between your PC and then connected Android device. This in turn will result in the inability of the app to work properly. So double-check that this feature has been enabled using the instructions given below:

1. Use the Windows+I shortcut keys to open the Settings menu.
2. Then select Apps from the left menu bar and go to the Apps and Features section.
3. After that, expand the Share Across Device section and select the My Device Only option.
   
4. If it has already been selected, then choose Off and then re-select My Device Only.
5. Verify if it manages to fix the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11.

FIX 4: Temporary Disable Firewall

In some instances, the Firewall app might act as a little bit over-protective and could incorrectly flag a file as being unsafe even though that might not be the case. So if you are sure that the data exchange taking place between your device and PC is safe and trustworthy, then you could consider temporarily disabling your Firewall. Here’s how to do the same on Windows Firewall:

1. Head over to the Start Menu, search Windows Defender Firewall, and open it.
2. Then click on the Turn Windows Defender feature on or off from the left menu bar.
3. After that, click on Turn Off Windows Defender Firewall under both the Public and Private Network sections.
   
4. Now hit OK to save the changes and then verify if the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11 has been fixed or not.

FIX 5: Repair/Reset My Phone App

If the data has got corrupted or outdated, then this could conflict with the proper functioning of the associated app. So you should first consider repairing the app. But if that doesn’t; work out, then you will have to reset the app and bring it back to the factory default state. Here’s how both these tasks could be carried out:

1. Use the Windows+I shortcut keys to open the Settings menu.
2. Then select Apps from the left menu bar and go to the Apps and Features section.
3. Now scroll to the Your Phone app, click on the overflow icon next to it and select Advanced Options.
4. After that, click on the Repair button and wait for Windows to do its job (this might take a couple of minutes).
   
5. Once the repair work is complete, verify if the underlying issue is fixed or not. If it’s still there, then click on the Reset button and wait for the app to revert to the default state.
   
6. Once done, launch it and set it up. Then check if the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11 has been fixed or not.

FIX 6: Reinstall My Phone App

If the app’s configurations and settings have got corrupted, then repairing or even resetting it wouldn’t do any good, Rather you should take the nuclear route of uninstalling the app from your PC and then re-installing its latest build. But you wouldn’t be able to uninstall the app from the Settings page as the option would be greyed. So we will then have to take the help of command, as explained below:

1. To begin with, head over to the Start Menu, search Powershell, and launch it as administrator.
2. After that, copy-paste the below command and hit Enter to uninstall the My Phone App

   Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

   

3. Once the app has been uninstalled, open Microsoft Store from the Start Menu.
4. Then download and install the latest version of the My Phone App.
5. Now launch it and set it up and then check if it fixes the Your Phone App not working issue in Windows 11.

FIX 7: Turn off DND on Windows and Android

If you have enabled Quiet Hours on your Windows PC or the Do Not Disturb Mode on your smartphone, then it might prevent the arrival of important notifications. Likewise, it may pause the app’s other usages during those silent hours. So the best bet is to disable the DND across both your devices, which could be done as follows:

Disable Active Hours in Windows 11

1. Open Focus Assist from the Start Menu.
2. Then set it to off. that’s it!
   

Disable DND on Android

1. Head over to the Settings menu on your device.
2. Then go to the Notification section.
   
3. Now scroll to the Do Not Disturb section.
4. Finally, tap on Turn Off Now.

Now that the DND has been disabled across both devices, check if it manages to fix the issue of Your Phone App not working in Windows 11.

FIX 8: Disable Android Battery Optimization

If there are any battery optimizations out in place on your smartphone, then it would prevent the apps from carrying out their background activities. As a result of this, the app’s most important aspect- syncing data between PC and smartphone- will be the sufferer. Therefore, you should consider disabling all the restrictive battery measures that you have put in place.

1. To do so, head over to the Settings menu on your device.
2. Then go to Battery > Battery Saver and make sure that it is disabled.
3. After that, go to Apps > See All Apps and select the Your Phone App from the list.
   
4. Now go to its Battery section and make sure to select the one that doesn’t have any restrictions (such as Don’t Optimize/Unrestricted, etc).
5. Once done, check whether the Your Phone App not working in Windows 11 has been fixed or not.

FIX 9: Delete Your Phone Android App Data

If the app’s data has got corrupted or outdated, then it would straightaway cause trouble with the normal working of the app. Therefore, you should delete all its data and then let it re-populate the same from scratch. Here’s how:

1. Head over to Settings on your device.
2. Then go to Apps > See ll Apps and select Your Phone App.
3. After that, go to its Storage and Cache section.
   
4. Then tap on Clear Storage followed by OK in the confirmation dialog box.
5. Once the data is deleted, launch the app and set it up.
6. Check if it was enough to fix the Your Phone App not working in Windows 11 issue.

FIX 10: Reinstall Your Phone Android App

In case the app’s configuration and settings have got disorientated or corrupted, then re-installing the app is the sole way out. So proceed ahead with the below steps to implement this fix right away:

1. Head over to Settings > Apps > See All Apps.
2. Then select Your Phone App from the list.
3. Next up, tap on Uninstall > OK in the confirmation dialog box.
   
4. Once done, head over to Play Store and reinstall the app.
5. Then launch it and complete the setup, the underlying issue would hence be rectified.

So with this, we round off this guide on how you could fix the issue of Your Phone App not working in Windows 11. We have listed ten different methods for the same. Do let us know in the comments section which one spelled out success for you. Likewise, all your queries are welcomed in the comments below.

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