I'm trying to figure out Messages HELP!

[Arkanok]

Ok, so my understanding is that with messages for OS X, you can send and receive your txts you'd use with your iPhone. I realize that SMS messages won't send, but anything iMessage will. I have my phone and my mac set up with my iCloud account, including having messages setup on my MBP and of course, i'm using my apple ID on my phone for messages too.

So having outlined that, here's my question. If someone that IS using an iPhone that is set up for iMessage, but they're sending it to my phone number (which I imagine is linked to my Apple ID), will it go to messages on my mac as well even though they're sending it to my phone number?

Sorry, I'm just a little confused as to how this all works and whether or not I have to start giving my email address to everyone from now on to be able to send messages to all my devices or if they can still just use my phone number.

 

[wordoflife]

There's an option to "link" an iCloud account to your iMessages under
Setting > General > Messages

I haven't tried it out myself, but I assume if you link an iCloud to your phone number and use that same iCloud on your Mac, you'll be fine.

 

[HiDEF]

There's an option to "link" an iCloud account to your iMessages under
Setting > General > Messages

I haven't tried it out myself, but I assume if you link an iCloud to your phone number and use that same iCloud on your Mac, you'll be fine.

Where can we locate these settings?

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Never mind, found it!

 

[Arkanok]

Well I've been trying to figure it out. I can't seem to figure it out. I texted my phone number from my girlfriends iPhone using iMessage and it didn't come through, however, once I put my email address in and texted the email address, it did. But again, even with my email address in my contact page on her phone, texting the phone number itself DID NOT send it to my computer's Message app.

Kinda disappointed, I don't want to have to tell everyone to start texting my email address from now on, I mean, who thinks to text someones email addy over their phone number? Nobody. Oh well.

 

[westonm]

My understanding is...

(i)Messages have to be sent to an email address to come through on the desktop. In order to have everything sync up nice you'll have to change your caller id from your phone number to your email on the phone as well. (Settings -> messages).

Everything has been working solid for me after doing that.

 

[thewitt]

Rumor is that Apple will be supporting sending messages to your iCloud registered phone number and having them go to all the devices logged into that iCloud account, however people are already starting to talk about privacy concerns because now Apple has to store your phone number too...

Right now your only option is to set the caller id to be your email address on all devices, and request your friends to message your email address and not your phone number.