Find out what you can do with this update and what you can forget!
Send and receive messages from the Apple Messages app on a PC This is already possible thanks to the recent update from Microsoft which has started rolling out with the updated Phone Link app. Since the official announcement of this possibility, the company has warned the advantages and limitations available in this first step that some users have already been able to verify.
The update offers the possibility of follow conversations Messages from the computer, without the need to see the mobile at all times. For now, users registered for the beta version have had the opportunity to test it and have shared their impressions.
How to Use Apple Messages App on Windows PC
Phone link allows you to manage Messages app on Windows PC
In theory, Microsoft’s Phone Link works by sending messages via Bluetooth to your contacts. SO, Apple iOS detects these messages and automatically redirects them to Messages. Phone Link intercepts messages that arrive via Bluetooth notifications and displays them in Windows so you can view them directly from your computer.
But in practice, a first glance confirms that the Phone Link update for iOS is very basic, as it only supports making and receiving calls, sending and receiving messages to individual contacts instead of groups, and viewing and dismissing notifications. For the moment, Forget about running phone apps on your PC or mirroring iPhone screenFor example.
If you are already one of the first users to have the Phone Link update, you must follow the following steps to complete the setup process between iPhone and PC.
- scan the iPhone Phone Link QR Code to link it to Windows.
- Wait for a lite version of the Phone Link app clip to open on iOS to complete the Bluetooth pairing.
- Follow the steps to pair and enable contact sharing via Bluetooth.
- enable “show notifications” for system notifications to be shared with your PC via Bluetooth.
When you start using Messages, you’ll see messages on both devices. But you’ll only be able to send and receive messages to individual contacts, which you’ll only see when your computer is on and paired with your iPhone. SO, when you restart your computer or close the Phone Link application, the history will be completely erased. So it ends up working as a backup to send and receive messages while you’re on your computer.
Likewise, message notifications will still appear on your iPhone, so you might end up messaging someone and still seeing a notification for a message you’ve already read on your computer.
Regarding calls, the experience is as expected, fulfilling its basic function of answering calls on PC without touching the iPhone. And it’s also possible to transfer a call to your iPhone if you want to leave your computer, or answer it and change call options.
While the limitations are obvious in this first release, it’s a big step in an update that many users have been asking for for a long time, which started with iCloud Photos support in Windows 11, and which is sure to improve in the future.
