Apple’s ecosystem is known for its seamless integration, and that extends beyond just phone calls. If you own a MacBook and an iPhone, did you know you can receive and reply to SMS messages directly from your Mac? This feature is remarkably convenient, especially for quickly accessing OTPs (One-Time Passwords) for secure online transactions. Let’s dive into how to enable it!
Step 1: Enable Messages in iCloud (Mac)
- Open the “Messages” app on your Mac.
- Navigate to “Settings” (found in the Messages menu bar).
- Click on the “iMessage” tab.
- Ensure the box next to “Enable Messages in iCloud” is checked. This step is crucial for syncing your messages across devices.
Step 2: Enable Text Message Forwarding (iPhone)
- Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and locate “Messages.”
- Find the “Text Message Forwarding” section and tap on it.
- You’ll see a list of devices signed in to your Apple account. Locate your MacBook and toggle the switch next to it to the “ON” position.
Why This Feature is Awesome
Now, whenever a text message arrives on your iPhone, you’ll also see it on your Mac. This saves you the hassle of reaching for your phone every time you need to reply to a text or grab an OTP code for logging into your bank account or other secure websites.
Important Note: For smooth syncing, ensure you’re using the same Apple account on both your Mac and iPhone.
Why this feature might not be for you.
While it is an excellent feature for productivity, it has its own cons. If you have private messages incoming, you might want to receive on the device which is with you all the time.
If you share your macbook computer with anybody else which is unlikely but a possibility, then it is not a good idea to have your text messages land on your computer as well because, Privacy.
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Also, if you are a visual guy, here is youtube video showing you how to do it.
