Apple's 'iMessage' Texts are Coming To Windows (with Limitations) (macrumors.com) 24
Microsoft "is adding iPhone support to its Phone Link app on Windows 11," reports MacRumors. "The app allows iPhone users to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and view an iPhone's notifications directly on a PC."
Notably, the app brings limited iMessage functionality to Windows. After pairing an iPhone with a PC via Bluetooth and granting some permissions on the iPhone, users can send and receive iMessages and SMS text messages in Phone Link, but there is no support for group chats or sending photos and videos.
The Verge notes you won't see the full message history in conversations, "as only messages that have been sent or received using Phone Link will be displayed." Microsoft isn't using blue or green bubbles in Phone Link either, as the company isn't able to differentiate between a standard text message and one sent via iMessage. The Phone Link integration for iOS is basic compared to what's available for Android, but Microsoft has never supported messaging or calls for iPhone users before, so this is a step in the right direction....
This new Phone Link support arrives alongside a big new Windows 11 update that includes AI-powered Bing on the taskbar, a screen recording feature, better touch optimizations, and more. If you're interested in testing this new Phone Link support for iOS, it will be available for Windows Insiders in the Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels, but Microsoft is kicking off testing with a "small percentage" of testers this week.
Thanks to ttyler (Slashdot reader #20,687) for sharing the news.
The Verge notes you won't see the full message history in conversations, "as only messages that have been sent or received using Phone Link will be displayed." Microsoft isn't using blue or green bubbles in Phone Link either, as the company isn't able to differentiate between a standard text message and one sent via iMessage. The Phone Link integration for iOS is basic compared to what's available for Android, but Microsoft has never supported messaging or calls for iPhone users before, so this is a step in the right direction....
This new Phone Link support arrives alongside a big new Windows 11 update that includes AI-powered Bing on the taskbar, a screen recording feature, better touch optimizations, and more. If you're interested in testing this new Phone Link support for iOS, it will be available for Windows Insiders in the Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels, but Microsoft is kicking off testing with a "small percentage" of testers this week.
Thanks to ttyler (Slashdot reader #20,687) for sharing the news.
not really (Score:2, Informative)
its not coming to a Windows "PC", its coming to a "Microsoft Accountâ", and it will be a cold day in hell before i let Microsoft and their shitty SPOF have access to my phone and email account, and i am not creating another online "account" just to access my local PC, fuck off !
And we would care because? (Score:2)
No one I know uses iMessage, though more than half have iPhones.
I and my friends all use signal, many others I know use whatsapp or facebook messenger, but no iMessage use..
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Yea, this definitely sounds like: tell me you don't live in the US without saying you don't live in the US
Well if you don't know anyone... (Score:2)
No one I know uses iMessage, though more than half have iPhones.
I and my friends all use signal, many others I know use whatsapp or facebook messenger, but no iMessage use..
If you don't know anyone, it must not matter. I don't personally know anyone who speaks Indonesian, does that mean the 273 million people living in Indonesia, presumably who can speak Indonesian, don't matter?
Everyone I know uses iMessage because it is the default, but I have female friends and most of my friends don't think the gov. gives a rat's ass about their personal texts. Maybe they don't think anyone would mistake them for a terrorist or sex offender so they don't need heavy-duty encryption? S
Re: Well if you don't know anyone... (Score:2)
Wikipedia seems to differ: (Score:2)
Actually, there is no such language. Indonesia has two primary languages (Bahasa and Javanese), and most people also speak Arabic because of the Islamic influence there. Amazingly, there are more than 700 distinct languages in Indonesia, all living and spoken today. I know this was not your point. But Indonesia is a poor country to make that point with. Most of Japan speaks Japanese. Use that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_language [wikipedia.org]
Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia [bahasa indonesja]) is the official and national language of Indonesia.[4] It is a standardized variety of Malay,[5] an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world, with over 270 million[6] inhabitants—of which the majority speak Indonesian, which makes it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.[7]
Technically, I used to know Indonesian people and they regularly referred to it as "Indonesian." I think Wikipedia disputes your statement, but I've never lived there, so don't know which to believe. Also, isn't it still correct to call it Indonesian even if the natives call it something different?...similar to Spanish vs Español or German vs Deutch vs Aleman?
Re: (Score:2)
They are both right - or all you three are right, you your parent an Wikipedia - likely Wikipedia is just poorly written. If you speak German, French or Spanish, it helps to cross check their version of the articles.
But if you want to nitpick about languages: use Tagalog (the Phllippinian "national language") - it is mostly completely artificial. Constructed after WWII by mostly one professor of languages in that area, picking the common parts of the most spoken languages and simplifying the grammar.
Or you
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Most of my contacts use SMSes, iMessages if using Apple devices, and Facebook Messenger. I still remember when ICQ, AIM, Y! Messenger, IRC, etc. were popular.
Re: (Score:2)
Of curse they use iMessage.
Otherwise they could not sent an SMS or receive confirmation codes for joing e.g. Signal ...
Everyone who needs to sent an SMS uses iMessage.
Re: (Score:2)
And why would they want the verification message to the phone app on their computer?
When you register for the phone app you get a sms, but for the computer app you cannot use that way you have to pair it with the QR code to your phone app..
And sending SMS.. yes that is a thing people used to back in the day, in fact even remember people actually talking on the phone to friends too.
Re: (Score:2)
When you register for the phone app you get a sms, but for the computer app you cannot use that way you have to pair it with the QR code to your phone app..
Depends on the messaging app. No idea how signal does it.
insidious (Score:2)
Insidious data rape app now goes deeper but not quite to 11.
Intel Unison anyone ? (Score:1)
Just install Intel Unison from the Microsoft store (free and works with all cpu's, in spite of its name.), and get better results right now. Been expecting MS to buy it off Intel and repackage it.
Great! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is not really an integration.
Most _computers_ can "remote control" a phone via bluetooth. In this case an remote control app simply talks to the phone and "displays" the iPhone SMSes (which include non SMS sent via the same app) and displays those in an standard app on that platform.
The Address-Book on that PC likely has access to the phone too, and can make it call numbers, and probably allows usage of a head phone/speaker set, connected to the PC, but the call goes via the phone.
How? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
If I had to guess, Microsoft is abusing SiriKit calls in their PhoneLink app to accomplish this.
just what we need (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
News that would only excite iVictims... (Score:2)
Apple users are special.
This is news like finding out about space AIDs.