SMS on KDE Connect in Windows 11

In the Microsoft Store KDE Connect is described as being able to “read and send SMS directly.” The store version is 23.04.0.

Does this actually work? If it does I can’t figure out how to use it.

My Android 13 phone is connected with the Google Play version of the app installed and every setting I can find on both sides is enabled. There is also apparently nothing in the Wiki describing how to do this in Windows.

I tried using the offline installer from https://kdeconnect.kde.org to see if that was different but something in the install package is read by BitDefender as malware and keeps getting quarantined.

Hi @smitt111 !

I have never used that functionality and I don’t have a Windows machine to try it, but on Linux I can see this option in kdeconnect’s tray icon (sorry for the spanish text but I guess it’s undestandable anyway :slight_smile: ):

image

Clicking it shows me a list of SMS from my phone.

If you don’t see that option, maybe it’s not yet implemented on Windows.

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According to the Microsoft Store description that capability is present. If it’s not implemented the feature should not be mentioned. The Windows 11 app also looks different from the Linux version:
W11

SMS shows up in the plugin settings but toggling it has no effect.

Does it not open at all if you click on SMS Messages? Or does something open and its stuck with a Button that says refresh ? If its the latter you need to give permissions in the Android App.

If I can figure out how to install Windows (in a VM), I’ll test it.

I can check and uncheck it in the Plugin Settings but that has no effect. Nothing opens. That is the only place I can find in the Windows app where anything says SMS.

SMS permissions and anything else I can find are already enabled on the Android side.

Right click KDE connect in the system tray → Select your Device → SMS Messages…

KDE_connect

Seems to work on W11 for me. Does that also work for you @smitt111 ?

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@Duha – thank you. That actually worked. Once I knew it was there.

Screenshot 2023-05-07 12.57.49

For some reason the KC icon doesn’t actually display. There is a blank space in the top middle of system tray I can right click on.

I haven’t really changed anything in the default display settings other than using f.lux to adjust the color temperature of the monitors at night. Shut that down just in case but no change. ALSO flipped the toggle on the hidden icon menu. That didn’t have any effect either. Still invisible.

I have submitted this in the bug tracker as it will completely confuse new users. Particularly since there appears to be no way to initiate SMS if the application is started from the start menu icon.

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=469848

System tray icon visibility should not be dependent on desktop backgrounds or anything else set in system graphics. I have been using Windows since Windows 2000 and this is the only application where I have seen this happen.

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