Microsoft Now Rolling Out iMessage Support on Windows With Several Limitations

[Sowelu]

AIM was an pseudo-open protocol. Do you remember iChat? It was built on AIM, too. We went too long without a replacement for iChat, but now we're living the dream.

iChat - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That icon alone gives me warm nostalgic feels. Oh how I miss those Mac OS X days when GUIs had usable buttons, controls and feedback and reflected how real world items worked (that we still use today), but on screen. The user didn't have to try and figure out how things work while looking at vast blank spaces and hidden menu items. I feel like this could've evolved and been refined over the years, versus getting overhauled and tragically iOS-ified.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

For anyone sane left in the comments, here's a contrast check comparison between iMessage and SMS:

View attachment 2194038

Apple understands accessibility, so this is an intentional, user-hostile design choice.

Messages were green for the first four years of iOS, when iMessage wasn't even a thing.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Strange comment to me as I'd venture that 90% of my use of Messages is via Mac, 8% iPad, 2% actually on my iPhone. I sit at my Mac all day and typing messages on Messages is so much easier than thumb typing, why ever use your phone to do so when you don't have to. That's how I roll, at least.

Exactly my point. It works the exact same way. You can reply and send messages via the computer. I was being sarcastic to the previous comment.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I think the more interesting point here is that nowhere is this thing labelled "Skype"...
It says something for how much MS has destroyed the (one time, many years ago, very positive) brand image of Skype that they're trying to build this on a completely different foundation.

So, basically, don't worry about Apple killing it. What you SHOULD be worried about is the Skype team within MS killing it...
(Or the same genius MS management that so thoroughly fscked up Skype deciding to bring their UI insights to this product...)

Yet, there is this thing called TEAMS which replaces Skype.

 

[Treq]

Having said that, the entire selling point of Macs is iMessage capabilities…

This isn’t even remotely true. Macs are far superior for many types of work, far more power efficient, and much easier to maintain and use. The interoperability with iOS via hand off and continuity, are just the cherry on top.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

It’s more like Windows users won’t be able to tell at a glance that they have to be careful about sending files or videos to large for the limits of Android because of text limitations.

I wish they had a WTF is this ridiculous comment emoji. 🤨

 

[The point and shoot pro]

This isn’t even remotely true. Macs are far superior for many types of work, far more power efficient, and much easier to maintain and use. The interoperability with iOS via hand off and continuity, are just the cherry on top.

Far superior? please...do share.

 

[Choco Taco]

This isn’t even remotely true. Macs are far superior for many types of work, far more power efficient, and much easier to maintain and use. The interoperability with iOS via hand off and continuity, are just the cherry on top.

What is wrong with you guys? Semantics? What I meant is iMessage is one of the many selling points of Macs. It's not the only or main thing. That would be ridiculous. iMessage is part of that interoperability.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

What is wrong with you guys? Semantics? What I meant is iMessage is one of the many selling points of Macs. It's not the only or main thing. That would be ridiculous. iMessage is part of that interoperability.

Good luck reasoning with Fan............insert person there. I use Apple, I use various android devices, I use windows computers, I use linux computers. No one is "FAR SUPERIOR" than the other..like some Fan......insert person here. claim. They are all the same, just different ways to go about it. It's all just tools.

 

[Treq]

What is wrong with you guys? Semantics? What I meant is iMessage is one of the many selling points of Macs. It's not the only or main thing. That would be ridiculous. iMessage is part of that interoperability.

You wrote that “the entire selling point of macs…” that’s where the confusion lies.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Sarcasm detection seems to be lost with some people round' here.

 

[Treq]

Good luck reasoning with Fan............insert person there. I use Apple, I use various android devices, I use windows computers, I use linux computers. No one is "FAR SUPERIOR" than the other..like some Fan......insert person here. claim. They are all the same, just different ways to go about it. It's all just tools.

I use Linux as well… and windows… and macs. Macs are far superior for many tasks than windows. Windows is better for others. Linux for even others tasks. My contention was the claim that the entire selling point of macs was iMessage integration. Which is on untrue.

 

[thecombatwombat]

Limitations are totally due to Apple, so saying "yup it's Microsoft" is an obviously biased viewpoint.
It also doesn't have access to all of your text messages.

Eh, sort of. For example, back when the iPhone first launched, Exchange support was a killer feature. I don't think Apple would have released it and pushed it as a feature if it couldn't display images.

Whether it's Apple's fault or not, they aren't forcing Microsoft to release it like this.

 

[zhugzug]

Just updated but still showing "Coming Soon" So is it out or not?

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

Just updated but still showing "Coming Soon" So is it out or not?

According to the original post:

 

[Durafab]

Microsoft today announced it is beginning to roll out iPhone support to the Phone Link app on Windows 11. In a blog post, the company said this functionality will be available to all Windows 11 users around the world by mid-May.

​

Fingers crossed this works on my Zune

 

[MrMojo1]

No Windows 10 version.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I use Linux as well… and windows… and macs. Macs are far superior for many tasks than windows. Windows is better for others. Linux for even others tasks. My contention was the claim that the entire selling point of macs was iMessage integration. Which is on untrue.

Please enlighten us with what the Mac is FAR Superior than the others. Battery life does not count as that is not what is being discuessed.

 

[Delivered]

Is this really common in some circles? I've heard people talk about this but I've never actually seen someone give someone a hard time about their messages being green or blue. I certainly don't give a crap; sure it's slightly less convenient to not see "Delivered" but as long as they get the message that's what matters.

Yes. It’s actually super common. As a grown adult teaching doctoral students I have had students criticize me for not using iPhone (when I actually mostly use iPhones I just was using an android phone while I had an iphone repaired). I’ve had others that aren’t even big fans of apple criticize me for leaving iOS bc I messed up our chats. I find this extremely obnoxious and I lay the blame at apples feet. The idea that all your friends are apple users is stupid. That I shouldn’t communicate differently based on which phone you have? Stupid. FaceTime and iMessage were announced with plants to make them industry standards. Apple went back on their word and is getting their fans to do free labor for them on the most elitist way. Honestly I see this being argued so much and it hurts my appreciation for my apple tech bc I feel like I’m in a cult I never intended to join.

 

[Delivered]

Please enlighten us with what the Mac is FAR Superior than the others. Battery life does not count as that is not what is being discuessed.

I have a certain appreciation for font rendering and non-useful aesthetics.

There are some specialized apple only applications however those are largely no longer industry standards due to apples neglect Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro are not what they used to be. Pro tools abelton davinci resolve premier pro have all supplanted them in more serious circles.

Aside from apple silicone and it perf/watt and hw encoders what makes macOS special is how well it works with iPhones and the fact that you can develop for iPhones on it. That’s it. Other than that it’s fancy Unix. But for many at least it’s not windows?

 

[Radeon85]

I use Windows only as I simply don't like Macs for one and that my main PC is a gaming one with a 4090 that I built and upgrade regularly so no Macs for me. I do use an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, the watch I've upgraded every year since it launched and I've upgraded the iPhone every year since the 3GS, as well as using multiple HomePods and Apple TV's so I am pretty heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem. So being able to at least have messages on Windows in some sort of way is a massive plus for me even if it's limited.

Apple has iCloud for Windows that does iCloud Drive, Photos, Contacts and Calendars along with Bookmark and Password syncing, so why the hell can't they at least give native iMessage support on Windows?, it's frustrating.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Apple’s going to kill this quickly sooner or later. Even with limitation, Apple won’t like the fact that iMessage is being sent out from non-Apple device.

This is actually just the MAP protocol used by Tesla, and older Toyota/Lexus to display text messages on cars without CarPlay.

This is definitely not the intended use case of MAP.

 

[Choco Taco]

This isn’t even remotely true. Macs are far superior for many types of work, far more power efficient, and much easier to maintain and use. The interoperability with iOS via hand off and continuity, are just the cherry on top.

They aren't far superior for many types of work. Windows does almost everything the Mac does except for cross platform interoperability between devices. The differences are mostly preferences for the UI and workflow. Macs are superior at battery life on laptops, yes, and efficiency in general. They are superior for audio engineering/music production because of the low latency core audio that literally just works without fussing with drivers, but that doesn't mean you can't do full on audio engineering and music production on Windows. But graphics work, video editing, and many other things are pretty much the same on both. Compiling code is also good on M chips. I use both Macs and Windows, but I'm not deluded into thinking either are far superior than the other. They both have pros and sometimes significant cons. Macs are not even remotely perfect with some issues still not being fixed after a decade. Use what you like. You won't be held back from doing anything on either platform.

 

[DarthDon]

IMessage on Windows 🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

 

[KevinN206]

“lack of support for group chats, photos, videos, and conversation history beyond the current chat session”

Yup it’s Microsoft…


No thanks I don’t want Windows to have access to all my text messages.

It's actually an Apple issue since Apple lock iMessage from third-party. This problem is not much of an issue for Android. Microsoft has a similar app for Android, and it works almost native on Windows. Second, Windows don't have much access to iOS devices anyway and you are not forced to use the app.