Microsoft Announces iMessage Support on Windows With Several Limitations

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Microsoft today announced that it is adding iPhone support to its Phone Link app on Windows 11. 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.

Windows 11 Phone Link iMessage
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.

As noted by The Verge's Tom Warren, Phone Link also lacks full message history for conversations and displays all sent and received messages as gray bubbles, meaning iMessages and SMS text messages cannot be differentiated.

Microsoft says iPhone support in Phone Link will be available in preview starting this week for a "small percentage" of Windows Insider members enrolled in the Dev, Beta, or Release Preview channels. The preview will be expanded "over time."

Tags: iMessage, Microsoft, Windows

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Top Rated Comments

ThisBougieLife Avatar
ThisBougieLife
36 months ago
Limited or not, it’s a step in the right direction. This is something I thought would never happen.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kylelerner Avatar
kylelerner
36 months ago
It’s essentially using the same Bluetooth support stack as your car would to send and receive text messages.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
Stella
36 months ago
Great for iPhone owners who use only Windows.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philrock Avatar
philrock
36 months ago
Definitely a step in the right direction. I use the iMessage feature on my Mac more than I thought I would. Having even limited functionality when I'm on my PC will be nice.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaUser Avatar
MayaUser
36 months ago

Curious when / if Apple will block this...
Microsoft couldnt have done this without Apple...so this is here to stay
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kissmo1980 Avatar
Kissmo1980
36 months ago

Limited or not, it’s a step in the right direction. This is something I thought would never happen.
Agreed! This is awesome!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments