How to set up Intel Unison on Windows 11, iPhone, and Android

It’s easy to get started with using Intel’s Unison app to text from your PC and copy over pictures from your phone to your PC and so much more.

With the announcement of Intel’s new 13th-generation mobile processors, you might have heard of an app called Intel Unison. This new app, like Dell Mobile Connect (which is being discontinued) and Microsoft’s Phone Link, brings your iPhone or Android phone closer together to your PC. With it, you can see your phone’s photos, transfer files, answer phone calls, and even send messages on your laptop or PC. Unlike Microsoft’s Phone Link, Intel Unison also works great with iPhones, too, unlocking true cross-device productivity on one laptop screen.

Officially, the app will be available pre-installed on select laptops with new 13th-generation Intel Evo CPUs. However, it can also be installed on laptops with 12th-generation Intel chips, too. And, you can technically sideload the app to any Windows 11 PC with Intel CPU, although it’s not guaranteed it’ll work.

If you’re just getting started or are curious about Intel Unison, we have you covered and are here with a step-by-step guide on how to install and use Unison on your laptop.

What you’ll need

• A laptop with a 12th-generation or 13th-generation Intel Evo CPU: To officially use Intel Unison, you’ll have to have a laptop with a 13th-generation or 12th-generation Intel Evo CPU. These new laptops with 13th-generation Intel CPUs aren’t out at the time of writing. However, based on our tests, the Intel Unison app works just fine on Windows 11 PCs with 11th-generation or 10th-generation CPUs, at least for now. We got the app working on our Surface Laptop Studio, which has 11th-generation Intel CPUs.
• A laptop running Windows 11: According to Intel and the Microsoft Store listing, Intel Unison only works on Windows 11. The app won’t work properly on Windows 10. If you need a new laptop to try Intel Unison, we list the best laptops you can buy.
• An active internet connection: Although Intel doesn’t state so on its support pages, Intel Unison works by connecting your phone through local Wi-Fi, LTE, as well as Bluetooth, and peer-to-peer connections.
• An iPhone or Android device: Naturally, you’ll need an iPhone running iOS 15 or higher, or an Android phone running Android 9 or higher for this to work. There’s a companion app that you’ll be required to download.

Step 1 (Older hardware only): Download the Intel Unison app from the Microsoft Store

To get started, you’ll have to download the Intel Unison app from the Microsoft Store. This step only applies to laptops with 12th-generation or older Intel CPUs that don’t have the Intel Unison app pre-installed.

1. Download at this link.
2. Click Get in Store app.
3. Click open and then install once the Microsoft Store app is on the screen.

(Optional) Sideload the Intel Unison app

Having issues downloading the Intel Unison app directly from the Microsoft Store? You can sideload the app using an online website. This website will pull the required files to install Unison on your Windows PC.

1. Copy the Microsoft Store URL for Intel Unison.
2. Open the online link generator for the Microsoft Store website.
3. Paste the Microsoft Store URL where it says URL (link)
4. On the dropdown box, select Retail.
5. Click the check mark and wait for the files to load.
6. Click to download the second listed file. The name of the listing should end 8j3eq9eme6ctt.msixbundle.
7. If you get a warning that the file cannot be downloaded securely, ignore it. Click the three dots next to the download, choose Koops and then Keep anyway.
8. When downloaded, double-click and launch the file.

Following these steps, Intel Unison should now be sideloaded to your Windows 11 PC.

Step 2: Install the companion app on your iPhone or Android

Now that Intel Unison is installed, you can launch the app. It should have been added to your Start Menu automatically. If not, you can find it using the Windows 11 search box. Before proceeding, please ensure Bluetooth is enabled on both your mobile device and PC and that both devices are connected to the internet, preferably the same Wi-Fi network. This is required for the app to work at its best.

1. Hit the Accept & continue button in the Intel Unison app on your PC.
2. Choose if you want to share crash data or analytics.
3. Scan the on-screen QR code using your iPhone or Android device that you want to pair with your PC.
4. This will take you to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download the companion app on your iPhone or Android device.
5. Install the Intel Unison companion mobile app through your mobile app store.
6. On your iPhone or Android device, choose the Accept & continue option.
7. Choose again if you want to share crash data and statistics.
8. Accept the permissions by clicking Let’s go.
9. Agree to each of the permission prompts for contacts, photos, calls, SMS, and more.

Once finished, keep the Intel Unison app open on your PC, and don’t exit the app. You’ll need it open for the next steps.

Step 3: Pair your iPhone or Android to your PC

After you install the Intel Unison app on your phone, you’ll want to go through the Bluetooth and pairing process on Windows to complete things and get started with using the app.

1. On the Intel Unison app on your iPhone or Android device, tap on Scan the QR code.
2. If required, grant permission to the camera on your mobile device.
3. Using the Intel Unison mobile app, scan the QR code you see on your PC.
4. Make sure that the displayed pairing code matches what you see on both your Windows PC and your Android or iPhone device.
5. Click Confirm on the Intel Unison app on your PC.
6. Allow your PC to connect to your phone automatically via Bluetooth.
7. Approve any Bluetooth pairing requests on both your mobile device and PC and make sure the PIN numbers match.
8. Allow access to notifications.

Once you complete pairing, you should see a completion or “success!” message on the Intel Unison app on your Android or iPhone. You can now play around with the app on your Windows PC!

Step 4 (iPhone only): Grant additional permissions

If you’re using Intel Unison with an iPhone, you’ll have to grant the app some extra permissions to send and receive iMessages on your PC. Unison will automatically prompt you for this if you attempt to send a message for the first time after pairing your iPhone to your PC.

1. open Settings on your iPhone.
2. tap bluetooth
3. Choose the name of your paired PC.
4. Tap the (i) next to it.
5. tap Show Notifications and make sure the toggle switch is on.

Enjoy the app!

That’s it! You’ve officially paired your iPhone or Android device to your Windows PC through Intel Unison. You can now explore the app and enjoy its many great features.

You can copy photos from your Phone to your PC by going to the gallery and clicking the download icon at the top right of a photo. And you can send new iMessages from Unison by clicking Messages. Remember, you won’t see your entire conversation history in Intel Unison, as only Android phones will let you do this. You can even see your phone’s notifications and place calls, too. Intel Unison is a truly powerful app and a great way to unite your iPhone or Android device with your PC.