You’ve probably noticed that your Mac has an iMessage app. But do you use it?
Syncing your iMessage across your Mac and iPhone is extremely convenient — you can easily text from your laptop even if your phone is nowhere in sight, or send texts to yourself if you want to quickly transfer media from your iPhone to Mac.
However, it doesn’t happen automatically. Here’s how to do it:
You’ll first need to have OS X Yosemite on your Mac, which is installed in computers purchased in 2014 or after. If you’re not sure, you can check your version of macOS by clicking the Apple icon in the top left corner of your desktop, then choosing “About This Mac.”
Your iPhone and Mac need to be synced through your iCloud account, which means you should register both devices under the same email or Apple ID. If you want to check to make sure your Mac and iPhone share the same Apple ID, open System Preferences on your Mac and choose iCloud. This will pull up a screen about the iCloud account linked to your computer.
To look at the iCloud account associated with your iPhone, simply open your Settings and scroll until your see iCloud, then tap on it for details.
Once you ensure that your iPhone and Mac are linked to the same iCloud account, you can start the process of syncing your iMessages.
From your iPhone, open Settings, then tap Messages, and make sure that your iMessage is turned on. You should also turn on the option called “Send as SMS,” which will let you send a text even when iMessage isn’t available.
Next, open “Send & Receive.” This will let you choose which addresses you want iMessage to send and receive messages from, and which address you want to start new iMessage conversations from. I recommend starting new conversations from your phone number.
Now that your iPhone iMessages are ready to go, you can set up your Mac.
First, launch iMessage and click on the “Messages” tab in the top left corner. Choose Preferences, then Accounts. Make sure the same Apple ID linked to your iPhone is enabled on your Mac iMessages, and that you can be reached through your phone number. If you chose to start new conversations from your phone number on your iPhone, do that on your Mac as well.
And there you have it. Both devices should now let you send and receive the same iMessages. It may take a minute or two for your Mac to catch up to your phone every time you open iMessage on it, but after it finishes syncing, you can text away to your heart’s desire.