In fact, things we never thought would happen have already happened. In the latest update to its Phone Link app for Windows, the tech giant is bringing support to the Apple iPhone — most notably iMessage for Windows 11.
according to Microsoft Official Blog (opens in a new tab) and reported by edge (opens in a new tab), Phone Link app for notifications, calls and messages by mirroring your phone to your PC. With this update, iPhone users can now connect their device to a Windows laptop or PC, send messages via iMessage, make and receive calls, and receive notifications via Windows 11.
In an interview with The Verge, Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing at Microsoft, explained how it works. “We send messages back and forth over Bluetooth, and I think Apple will send those messages as iMessages once they get into their system.”
That sounds impressive, but there are some setbacks.
Users will not be able to see the full message history, only messages sent or received via Phone Link. You also won’t see any blue or green chat bubbles, because the system can’t distinguish between regular text messages and iMessage text messages. Still, it’s a surprisingly big step in the right direction, and more features and support may open up in the future, such as photo integration.
If you’re interested in testing this feature, Microsoft is starting beta testing with a small group of Windows Insiders in the Dev, Beta, and Release Preview channels. “Over time, we will increase the availability of the preview to more Insiders based on the feedback received from the first group of Insiders,” official blog post.
This new update also brings several other features, such as AI Bing and chat-driven search on the taskbar, screen recording capabilities, better touch optimization, and more.
