Having a Mac and an iPhone is not just having a separate computer and phone. Rather, it is having two devices that integrate and interact with each other. That is why, one of the most typical functions of a mobile phone, send and receive SMS, it can also be done from a Mac computer. If you want to know how you can do it, we explain everything in this post.
Your computer is more of a phone thanks to the iPhone
Before we begin, we must point out something very important. We will not be able to send and receive SMS on a Mac, if we do not have an iPhone. Macs have neither SIM (or eSIM) cards, nor the phone-level architecture that iPhones have. That is why the Mac needs the iPhone, since this will be the source from which the Mac will drink to send and receive SMS messages.
Although sending SMS is something that has been relegated to the background, thanks to messaging applications, the truth is that receiving SMS is still a common practice. When we make a reservation, we have to access certain services with prior confirmation, etc. an SMS is sent to our mobile phone. But, if you have a Mac and an iPhone and you activate these options that we will show you below, you will also be able to receive them on your computer.
Keep these factors in mind
It is important that you have Mac connected to the internet when you want to send or receive SMS. Remember that this is possible thanks to the Apple ID. Similarly, the iPhone has to be connected to the cellular network, with battery power, and with Wi-Fi and cellular data turned on, so that both devices can communicate with each other.
You have to know that, depending on the telephone operator you have contracted, the cost of sending and receiving SMS will change. But the fact of being able to receive and send SMS with your Mac is something that works thanks to iCloud and that, therefore, has no additional cost. To activate this function we have to go to Settings > Messages and look for the option SMS forwarding. If we open this menu, the devices that are compatible with this function will appear. In this case, if you have a Mac with the Messages application activated and you have linked the same Apple ID on both computers, you will be able to select your computer from these iPhone settings.
A detail to keep in mind: if we have SMS saved on our iPhone and then we activate the forwarding function on the Mac, the message history will not be transferred, since old messages are not synchronized. We will only be able to see on our Mac those SMS that we send and receive from the moment we have activated the setting. That is why You don’t have to worry if you don’t see old messages on your Mac even though you have turned on the settings. It is normal and, from the moment you can receive and send SMS on your Mac, you will have your verification that the process has gone correctly. Also, when we activate this option, no notification will be sent to our Mac.
