No, it’s not April 1st–but you wouldn’t be alone in thinking this headline was some kind of prank. For ages, iPhone users and PC users have been forced to live in separate worlds. Apple only allows iMessage on its own devices, and that pairing keeps a lot of people happily trapped in Apple’s walled garden. Microsoft also only supports Android, or at least that’s how it used to be. However, the company has now built a workaround for iOS on PC, bringing support for iPhone to Windows 11. As expected, there are a lot of limitations, and it’s not available to everyone. Still, it’s a start, and if you have this unholy pairing, you might find it somewhat useful.
Microsoft just dropped a huge update for Windows 11, and one of the headline features is iOS support. It’s only available to some of the people enrolled in the Windows Insider program for now. However, Microsoft says it’ll be rolling it out for more Insiders based on the feedback it gets. Eventually, we expect Microsoft will offer it to all Windows 11 users. It works using Bluetooth pairing and the Phone Link app in Windows 11. When everything is synced, you will be able to send and receive texts, handle phone calls, and receive notifications in Windows 11’s notification center.
The unholy combination: Windows 11 and iMessage. (Image: Microsoft)
The biggest drawbacks are that you can’t send photos or participate in group chats. It also won’t sync your chat history. Only messages sent using Phone Link will be shown, so it’s not like how it is on macOS. There are no green or blue bubbles, though, which is a refreshing dose of neutrality. However, that’s because the app can’t differentiate between an SMS and an iMessage. Still, you’ll be able to text other iPhone users from the Phone Link app in Windows 11, which is a cool addition.
Though the iPhone support is rudimentary for now, Microsoft told The Verge it felt it needed to do it. “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time,” says Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s head of consumer marketing. “The experience with Android is quite good, and we felt like we needed to get something out [for iPhone].” Even the most devout Apple fans will likely appreciate the integration, despite its modest feature set.
Previously this window only offered Android support. (Image: Microsoft)
When you send and receive messages through the app, they should also appear on your iPhone. Microsoft’s Mehdi said he thinks Apple will turn them into iMessages once they hit Apple’s servers. If so, this sounds like it’ll be a great way for iPhone users to sit at their PC all day and not have to be at a Mac to type text messages. It’s long been a pain point for some users with PCs and iPhones. The solution previously was to use a Mac. Now, that’s no longer the case, at least for some Insiders.
Now read:
- Microsoft New Bing and Edge AI Is the Next Generation of ChatGPT
- Registry Hack Removes Windows 11 Watermark on Unsupported PCs
- Microsoft Is Testing Universal RGB Control in Windows 11
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