There's no single Intel Unison alternative that does everything it did for an iPhone. For texts, calls and notifications on Windows 11, Microsoft's Phone Link is the closest free replacement. Lenovo Smart Connect covers messages, photos and files with an iPhone on Windows 10 or 11. For files alone, LocalSend and KDE Connect work on the same Wi-Fi, and Beamaroo works in any browser across networks, with nothing to install.
The short answer
- Unison is discontinued. Service ended for most PCs at the end of June 2025, Lenovo Aura Edition PCs were to keep it through 2025, and Intel stopped offering the download on 1 January 2026.
- Texts, calls and notifications: Phone Link, built into Windows 11. With an iPhone it can't do group chats or photos in messages, and only shows messages sent while connected.
- Messages, photos and files with an iPhone on Windows 10 or 11: Lenovo Smart Connect, free, with a Lenovo ID. It's where Intel sends Lenovo Aura Edition owners.
- Files only, same network: LocalSend or KDE Connect, both free and open source, normally with an app on each device.
- Files only, across networks, nothing to install: Beamaroo in the browser. Live transfers only, sized for photos, videos and documents rather than whole libraries.
What happened to Intel Unison
Intel announced Unison in September 2022 to bring file transfer, texts, calls and phone notifications to Windows PCs, for iPhone as well as Android (Thurrott). Intel said it would start on a handful of 12th-gen Intel Evo laptops from HP, Acer and Lenovo (Engadget). Then Intel discontinued it in stages.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| April 2025 | Notices on Unison's Microsoft Store, App Store and Google Play listings say it will be discontinued, starting with most platforms at the end of June 2025, while Lenovo Aura Edition PCs keep service through 2025 (9to5Google). |
| 30 June 2025 | Dell says Unison will no longer function correctly or be available for download after this date (Dell). |
| 1 January 2026 | Intel says the product and drivers are no longer available for download, and its support team no longer answers Unison questions (Intel). |
If an old copy is still installed, don't rely on it; Dell recommends uninstalling it. The April 2025 notice offered no replacement, and Intel's support page now points Lenovo Aura Edition owners to Lenovo Smart Connect.
What Unison did, and what replaces each piece
Unison bundled several jobs into one app. They're now spread across different tools, so match the replacement to what you actually used it for.
| You used Unison for | Replace it with | Notes for iPhone owners |
|---|---|---|
| Texts on the PC | Phone Link (Windows 11) | No group messages, no photos or videos in messages, and only messages sent while connected |
| Calls on the PC | Phone Link (Windows 11) | Needs a Bluetooth link; Microsoft lists iOS 15 or later for calls |
| Phone notifications | Phone Link (Windows 11) | Check and dismiss them on the PC |
| Getting photos onto the PC | Lenovo Smart Connect's Gallery, or iCloud for Windows | Smart Connect needs a Lenovo ID; iCloud means syncing through Apple's cloud |
| Sending files either way | LocalSend, KDE Connect, Beamaroo, Lenovo Smart Connect, or Phone Link's file sharing | Phone Link's iPhone file sharing is still rolling out; the apps need installing on both devices |
| An Android phone instead | Phone Link or Quick Share for Windows | Android gets more from Phone Link, including photos. See phone to PC options |
| A Lenovo Aura Edition PC | Lenovo Smart Connect | Intel's own pointer for Aura owners |
Phone Link with an iPhone in 2026: what works and what doesn't
Phone Link is built into Windows and links to an iPhone over Bluetooth, with the Link to Windows app on the phone. Microsoft lists iOS 14 or later, a Windows 11 PC and Bluetooth for the basics. It's the most direct replacement for Unison's texts, calls and notifications, with real gaps on the iPhone side.
What works
- Calls: make and take them on the PC, through the iPhone (iOS 15 or later).
- Texts: read and reply from the PC.
- Notifications: check and dismiss them.
- Files: Send Files in the Start menu, or Link to Windows in the iPhone's share sheet. It needs iOS 16.6 or later for the Link to Windows app and is being rolled out gradually.
What doesn't
- Group messages aren't supported, and you can't send photos or videos in messages.
- Only messages sent or received while the iPhone and PC are connected show up.
- No photo gallery for iPhone, though Android phones get one.
- It isn't available for iPad or Mac, and Microsoft lists Windows 11 for the iPhone features.
- File sharing is still bedding in: in a Microsoft Q&A thread from May to October 2026, three people report iPhone-to-PC sends failing while PC-to-iPhone works. The latest reply says restarting the PC after installing both apps fixed it.
Lenovo Smart Connect, a Phone Link alternative for iPhone
Intel's support page sends Lenovo Aura Edition owners to Lenovo Smart Connect, but it isn't just for Lenovo PCs. Lenovo lists Windows 10 or later PCs, iPhones on iOS 15 or later and Android 12 or later, with some features kept for Lenovo and Motorola hardware. With an iPhone on Windows, it covers messages, a photo gallery and file transfer, and unlike Phone Link's iPhone features it runs on Windows 10.
The catches, from Lenovo's own FAQ: you sign in with the same Lenovo ID (or Moto account) on every device; the PC shows only an iPhone's most recent 10 messages, group messages appear as individual ones, and you can't send images from the PC; and between different networks or on mobile data, file transfers are capped at 500 MB a day, with single files over 200 MB needing the same Wi-Fi.
Free file-transfer apps: LocalSend and KDE Connect
LocalSend
LocalSend is free and open source, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It sends files over your local Wi-Fi with no internet needed, and its own FAQ is plain that it doesn't work over the internet. Both devices need to be on the same network, normally with the app on each; its browser options stay on that network too. For moving lots of files between your own devices at home, an installed app like this is the better tool. More in how LocalSend compares with a browser transfer, and if devices won't show up, LocalSend not working.
KDE Connect
KDE Connect is free and open source too, with downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. With an Android phone it does far more than files, including notification sync, replying to texts and remote control. The iPhone app is much more limited: KDE's documentation says it can't sync notifications or texts on iOS and doesn't stay connected when the app isn't on screen. Both devices must be on the same network, though KDE says a VPN works too.
For files with nothing to install: Beamaroo
Beamaroo is the file option for when you can't or won't install anything: a work PC you don't control, someone else's phone, or two devices on different networks. It runs in the browser on both ends, so it works the same on Windows 10, Windows 11, an iPhone, an Android phone or a Mac.
Open beamaroo.com on both devices, choose files on one and tap Get a code, then type the code on the other and tap Accept. The files go straight between the two devices over an encrypted connection (through an encrypted relay if a network blocks a direct link), nothing is uploaded or stored, and the sender gets a delivery receipt once every file has been checked on arrival. How Beamaroo works covers the details.
What it isn't: Beamaroo does files only, with no texts, calls, notifications or photo syncing. Both devices need to be online at the same time, phones are comfortable up to a few hundred MB and computers up to about 1–2 GB, and folders need zipping first. The full iPhone-to-PC picture is in how to transfer files from iPhone to PC.
Try it: send a file between your phone and PC
Open this page on your phone and your PC. Choose files on one, type the code on the other. Files only, nothing installed, nothing uploaded.
Click the code to copy it
Code lasts 30 minutes · keep this screen on until they connect
Scan to receive
Files stay on this device until the other side accepts.
Type the code shown on the sending device.
↑ This is the whole app — no install, no signup
Intel Unison alternatives compared
| Feature | Phone Link | Lenovo Smart Connect | LocalSend | KDE Connect | Beamaroo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts with an iPhone | Yes, with limits | Yes, last 10 messages | No | No on iPhone | No |
| Calls with an iPhone | Yes | Not listed | No | No | No |
| Files with an iPhone | Rolling out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Devices on different networks | No: nearby only (Bluetooth) | Yes, up to 500 MB a day | No | Only over a VPN | Yes |
| What to install | Nothing on the PC; Link to Windows on the iPhone | App on both, plus a Lenovo ID | App on both, usually | App on both | Nothing |
| Open source | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
On Windows 10, or prefer Apple's own route?
Microsoft lists Windows 11 for Phone Link's iPhone features, and Windows 10 reached end of support on 14 October 2025 (Microsoft). If you're staying on Windows 10 for now, Lenovo Smart Connect and LocalSend both support it, and Beamaroo works in any modern browser on it.
Apple's own options are a cable or iCloud. The Apple Devices app moves files over a cable on Windows 10 or later, but only for iPhone apps that support File Sharing. iCloud for Windows syncs photos and iCloud Drive, and its latest version needs Windows 11. Both are solid for your own devices; neither does texts or calls.
Questions
Is Intel Unison still available?
No. Intel ended service for most PCs at the end of June 2025, said Lenovo Aura Edition PCs would keep it through 2025, and stopped offering the download from 1 January 2026. Intel support no longer answers questions about it.
What replaced Intel Unison?
Intel didn't name a replacement, except for Lenovo Aura Edition owners, whom it points to Lenovo Smart Connect. For most people it's Microsoft's Phone Link for texts, calls and notifications, plus a file tool such as LocalSend, KDE Connect or Beamaroo.
Does Phone Link work with iPhone?
Yes, on Windows 11: calls, texts and notifications, with file sharing rolling out for iPhones on iOS 16.6 or later. It can't do group messages, photos or videos in messages, or messages from before you connected, and it isn't available for iPad or Mac.
Can I still use Intel Unison on a Lenovo PC?
Not really. Lenovo Aura Edition PCs were to keep Unison through 2025, but the download was withdrawn from 1 January 2026 and Intel no longer supports it. Intel now sends Aura Edition owners to Lenovo Smart Connect.
What's the best Intel Unison alternative for iPhone file transfers?
For your own PC and iPhone on the same Wi-Fi, LocalSend is free and open source. If you'd rather install nothing, or the devices are on different networks, Beamaroo sends files from the browser with nothing uploaded. Phone Link works too once its iPhone file sharing reaches your PC.
Is there an Intel Unison alternative for Windows 10?
Yes, for most of it. Microsoft lists Windows 11 for Phone Link's iPhone features, but Lenovo Smart Connect runs on Windows 10 or later with an iPhone, LocalSend supports Windows 10, and Beamaroo works in any modern browser on Windows 10.
Does Beamaroo do texts and calls?
No. Beamaroo only sends files: photos, videos, documents and anything else you can pick in a browser. For texts and calls on your PC, use Phone Link; Lenovo Smart Connect also handles iPhone messages.