How to send and receive SMS text messages in OS X Yosemite
With today's release of iOS 8.1, Apple finally activated SMS text forwarding from iPhone to OS X Yosemite, allowing users to send, read and reply to messages directly from their Mac.
Part of Apple's Continuity feature package introduced with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, SMS and MMS text forwarding promises access to cellular-based messaging from any one of the company's products, from iPhones to iPads, and now to Macs.
Text forwarding is by turned off by default, but enabling the feature is a straightforward process similar to connecting to and setting up an Apple TV.
Users first navigate to Settings > Messages on an iPhone running iOS 8.1, which was released earlier on Monday as a free over-the-air update. A new option called "Text Message Forwarding" appears just below iMessage toggle switch, with the text, "Allow your iPhone text messages to also be sent and received on other devices signed in to your iMessage account."
Selecting the option brings up a menu pane of devices capable of connecting with and transmitting text messages to and from your iPhone. In our example, the iPhone discovered a Mac Pro, Retina MacBook Pro and iPhone 5s. Text forwarding can be selected as on a per-device basis, meaning users have greater control over where messages are headed.
In the example above, we activated our MacBook Pro to receive text messages, which sent out a validation request that resulted in a six-digit prompt in Messages for Mac. Entering the passcode on the iPhone successfully pairs the two devices, allowing for receipt and sending of SMS and MMS messages.
When receiving a text from a number not stored in Contacts, a Notification Center alert will slide in with the originating phone number. You can reply directly from this window, just like incoming iMessages, or click on it to open the Messages app.
In testing, we found texts from numbers associated with an existing contact showed up with correct identification, though results were spotty. There were many times when a known number failed to trigger correct caller ID on the alert, but would later show up in line with iMessages from the same person.
As with iOS, text messages sent from Mac are shown in green as opposed to the usual blue bubbles, helping users keep track of text limits. A small informational line of text also appears in the conversation pane in Messages, denoting to what number the text is being sent or received.
In addition to Messages, users can initiate text conversations by highlighting numbers in other Mac apps like Safari, Calendar, Contacts or Spotlight. Share sheets also work with the new function, allowing rich content like pictures to be sent via MMS.
Part of Apple's Continuity feature package introduced with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, SMS and MMS text forwarding promises access to cellular-based messaging from any one of the company's products, from iPhones to iPads, and now to Macs.
Text forwarding is by turned off by default, but enabling the feature is a straightforward process similar to connecting to and setting up an Apple TV.
Users first navigate to Settings > Messages on an iPhone running iOS 8.1, which was released earlier on Monday as a free over-the-air update. A new option called "Text Message Forwarding" appears just below iMessage toggle switch, with the text, "Allow your iPhone text messages to also be sent and received on other devices signed in to your iMessage account."
Selecting the option brings up a menu pane of devices capable of connecting with and transmitting text messages to and from your iPhone. In our example, the iPhone discovered a Mac Pro, Retina MacBook Pro and iPhone 5s. Text forwarding can be selected as on a per-device basis, meaning users have greater control over where messages are headed.
In the example above, we activated our MacBook Pro to receive text messages, which sent out a validation request that resulted in a six-digit prompt in Messages for Mac. Entering the passcode on the iPhone successfully pairs the two devices, allowing for receipt and sending of SMS and MMS messages.
When receiving a text from a number not stored in Contacts, a Notification Center alert will slide in with the originating phone number. You can reply directly from this window, just like incoming iMessages, or click on it to open the Messages app.
In testing, we found texts from numbers associated with an existing contact showed up with correct identification, though results were spotty. There were many times when a known number failed to trigger correct caller ID on the alert, but would later show up in line with iMessages from the same person.
As with iOS, text messages sent from Mac are shown in green as opposed to the usual blue bubbles, helping users keep track of text limits. A small informational line of text also appears in the conversation pane in Messages, denoting to what number the text is being sent or received.
In addition to Messages, users can initiate text conversations by highlighting numbers in other Mac apps like Safari, Calendar, Contacts or Spotlight. Share sheets also work with the new function, allowing rich content like pictures to be sent via MMS.
Comments
The author's first step is, therefore, the second.
Peace,
Gene
Does this work with iPhone 5? I'm running 8.1 but I don't have the "forward messages" toggle.
Does this work with iPhone 5? I'm running 8.1 but I don't have the "forward messages" toggle.
Have you activated iMessages on your Mac?
Don't forget to activate iMessages on your Mac, first, for it to appear under the Text Message Forwarding option on your iPhone.
I'm not the only one appalled by the lack of capitalization, right?
Also, poor Nick Wilson, having his business for the whole AI community to see....
Thanks a lot for the help. It's working.
Hmm....my text message forwarding shows three Mac devices. They are the same machines but had issues with one thing or another and only one is a valid one. How do I remove the other two?
Same here on my iPhone 4S. I know handoff doesn't work on my phone but the SMS/Voice Call feature I'm not clear about.
No. All of my messages, regardless of transport system, have proper grammar/spelling. Humanity’s degrading.
How do I initiate an SMS from the Contacts application? I highlight the number and nothing happens other than its giving me an option to call that number from my Mac.
Cheers
I have Text Message Forwarding up on my iPhone, and it sees my Mac.
I press the button, but nothing happens on my Mac.
Did I miss a step?
I'm not the only one appalled by the lack of capitalization, right?
Also, poor Nick Wilson, having his business for the whole AI community to see....
I apologize for my lack of punctuation and my errors in spelling "alright." I missed the 't' on the iOS keyboard.
No. All of my messages, regardless of transport system, have proper grammar/spelling. Humanity’s degrading.
Except here, where you've used an apostrophe to create a contraction which implies neither plurality nor possession.
In this instance you've traded accuracy for laziness and paid for it with your credibility.
Nice to know you're degrading with the rest of the proletariate masses.
A warning - there is a significant bug with this feature that I submitted to Apple yesterday. I'm curious if others can corroborate.
I'm an all-Apple guy. MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone.
My wife has an iPad, but a Samsung Android phone. Her iPad has her own iCloud/Apple ID account for app purchases, etc., which is associated with her e-mail address.
On my computer, I have, of course, one and only one entry in Contacts (formerly Address Book) for her, containing both her e-mail address and cell number.
If she texts me from her phone, I will see it show up on my phone and on Messages on my Mac. If I reply from my phone, it goes to her as expected, and also shows up on my computer in the message window.
But - if I reply from my computer, the message will be sent via iMessage to her iPad and NOT via SMS to her phone.
Messages activated in Mac.
No such option under iMessages in IOS8.1
Text forwarding is by turned off by default
Got ahead of yourself there?
So I have Messages running on my Mac and connected to iCloud.
I have Text Message Forwarding up on my iPhone, and it sees my Mac.
I press the button, but nothing happens on my Mac.
Did I miss a step?
Same here, I think. I get a pop up on my iPhone saying "Enter the code shown on your Mac to allow iPhone text messages to also be sent and receive on "Macbook Air", but there is no code shown on my Mac.
No. All of my messages, regardless of transport system, have proper grammar/spelling. Humanity’s degrading.
Except here, where you've used an apostrophe to create a contraction which implies neither plurality nor possession.
In this instance you've traded accuracy for laziness and paid for it with your credibility.
Nice to know you're degrading with the rest of the proletariate masses.
I see you don't know how to write proper English. TS's apostrophe is correct.
I believe that there are courses you can take for improving your grammar; I suggest you take one.