Microsoft’s latest update allows iPhone users to send texts from their Windows PCs, providing a seamless integration between their phone and desktop.Apple’s strong integration across its products, including Mac laptops and iPhones, has contributed to the increasing market share of Macs over Windows PCs in recent years.
Microsoft announced on Monday that the new version of Phone Link for Windows 11 PCs now enables users to receive notifications, send texts, and answer calls from their paired iPhones.Previously, Phone Link only supported Android phones, but this expansion could attract computer buyers who would have otherwise chosen a Mac.
However, Phone Link’s capabilities are not as extensive as Apple’s Messages for Mac. It operates through Bluetooth and requires the iPhone to have Microsoft’s “Link to Windows” app installed.
With Phone Link, Windows PCs can receive iPhone notifications and display messages on the desktop. However, it does not support group texts through iMessage and does not allow the sending of photos or videos. Additionally, users will only see the message history that is sent or received through the Windows app, not the entire conversation.According to Microsoft, the messaging feature is limited by iOS.
