But when neither of these classes applies to you, properly, the method normally takes a bit pondering by. And due to that, quite a lot of folks have written to our Assist Desk questioning simply how they may give you the option to fireplace off a typical text message, or SMS, from the consolation of their full-size keyboards.
To assist, we’ve put collectively this fast information to get your text messages flowing to — and from — your pc. And in case you’re spending time tackling one other form of tech conundrum, you don’t have to do it alone — submit a request right here or send an e-mail to [email protected], and we’ll do our greatest to assist you determine the reply.
That is about as straightforward because it will get. So long as you are signed into the identical Apple ID on your iPhone (or iPad, for that matter) and your Mac, you may give you the option to send and obtain these blue-bubbled iMessages from your pc’s Messages app. However what about commonplace, green-bubbled SMS messages?
Easy: simply be certain your cellphone’s text message forwarding characteristic is on. Here is how.
- Open the Settings app and faucet Messages
- Faucet the Text Message Forwarding possibility
- Choose the Mac (and/or the iPad) you need to send and obtain text messages from
As soon as that’s achieved, you need to use the identical previous Messages app on your Mac to attain out (or reply) to the folks in your life who don’t even have iPhones.
Are you a Mac consumer who prefers to use an Android smartphone? There’s one dead-simple technique that I depend on personally, although utilizing it might include a catch.
See, many (however not all) Android telephones use Google’s do-it-yourself Messages app for sending and receiving their texts. When you already know what I am speaking about, or if your Android cellphone’s messaging app icon has a blue background and a speech bubble with three traces in it, you will have the least work to do.
Simply go to Google’s Messages web site, comply with the directions to scan the QR code, and also you’ll quickly see all of your text conversations proper in your net browser. (You might have considered trying to bookmark it for straightforward entry later.)
However what if your cellphone got here with a distinct messaging app as a substitute? Don’t fear — that is fairly frequent. You may obtain and set up Google’s Messages app from the Play Retailer in case you don’t thoughts making the change, although apps like Pushbullet will help you send and obtain text messages from inside your net browser too.
In my expertise, it may be a bit buggy when it comes to displaying incoming text messages, however some Pushbullet customers swear by it. When you actually don’t need to change messaging apps, it might be price a shot.
As soon as once more, the best possibility right here is to use the identical Google Messages characteristic we simply mentioned within the net browser of your selection.
That stated, Home windows 10 and 11 — which Microsoft says are being utilized by 1.4 billion gadgets month-to-month — include a particular characteristic referred to as Cellphone Hyperlink that may do much more than simply get your texts to the best folks. Here is how to set it up:
- On your Home windows PC, find the search field or button in your activity bar and kind “Cellphone Hyperlink”
- Signal into your Microsoft account if requested
- If your Android cellphone would not have already got it, obtain and set up the Hyperlink to Home windows app. (The Cellphone Hyperlink app on your pc will provide a hyperlink to enable you to discover it.)
- As soon as the app is put in on your cellphone, click on the button permitting you to pair with the QR code in your pc’s Cellphone Hyperlink window, and comply with the remaining directions
From there, you’ll give you the option to send and obtain text messages from inside your PC’s Cellphone Hyperlink, however that’s only the start. You may as well view your cellphone’s pictures on your pc monitor, save them immediately to your PC, and even run sure Android apps inside Home windows, all with out having to plug something in.
That is, as it’s possible you’ll count on, the trickiest situation of all of them. And it’s technically doable to pull off, offered you’re prepared to put in a bunch of fiddly work.
Apps like AirMessage, as an example, can basically ahead SMS and iMessages to an Android cellphone, an internet browser working on your Home windows pc. However whereas AirMessage has a strong status amongst its customers, there’s one important catch: you have already got to personal a Mac pc for it to work. (Belief me: you’re significantly better off attempting to comply with together with their directions than mine.)
Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Technique, instructed me that corporations like Apple can train extra management over your expertise in case you keep inside its ecosystem, and that it rewards that habits with unique options you’ll be able to solely get by staying in it.
“I don’t foresee Apple wanting to make most of its personal options accessible outdoors of its personal platform with out regulatory strain,” stated Sag. “Apple needs its customers to know that they’ll have a greater texting expertise on iPhone when paired with an iPad or a MacBook.”
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, however the firm has been extremely protecting of its messaging expertise for years. In accordance to emails that surfaced through the firm’s authorized battle with Epic Video games, Apple no less than briefly entertained the thought of bringing its iMessage service to Android in 2013 earlier than deciding in opposition to it.