How to Get Text Messages on Your Mac Without Your Phone

^{If you find yourself away from your phone but still with your Mac, you may be wondering if it’s possible to still receive and send text messages, even without your phone. After all, Macs are powerful machines that should be able to send and receive a simple text message, right?}

^{Can you send or receive text messages on your Mac?}

^{To send or receive a message with your Mac, you need to use the iMessage app. The messages aren’t sent through a phone number, but through the email connected to your Apple ID. iMessages from a Mac work the same way as texts. iMessaging is only compatible with iPhones or other Apple products.} 

^{There are some things you need to keep in mind when trying to send or receive messages on your Mac. Read below to learn more about iMessaging with your Mac.}

^{To receive text messages on your Mac, they must be sent to your email, rather than a phone number. Those who send texts to you will send them to the email you set your Mac up with.}

^{The person sending you messages also needs to have iMessages, so they will need an Apple product with the iMessage app. If someone sends a message to your email from either their Mac or iPhone, it will show up just like a regular text would in the iMessages app.} 

^{You will receive a message notification that you can click on and it will bring you right to the message you just received. Or you can access all of your messages by going directly to your iMessages app.}

^{To send messages with your Mac, open your iMessage app and type in the phone number or email of the recipient. This will send just like a text.}

^{To be able to send messages to another person through iMessage, they must also have a device compatible with iMessage, such as an iPhone or a Mac.}

^{If they have an iPhone, your message will appear as a regular text, but from your email, rather than a phone number.} 

^{If they are also chatting with a Mac, but they don’t have an iPhone, their messages back will appear to come from their email as well.} 

^{If your recipient does not have an Apple product, you will not be able to send messages to them from your Mac. The message will show as not delivered, and the intended recipient will never receive the message.}

^{Does it work if I don’t have an iPhone?}

^{Any Apple product is compatible with iMessage. This includes iPod touches, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, iMacs, and Apple Watches.Some older models might not be able to use all the iMessage functions available on devices with the most recent iOS.} 

^{While these devices are all compatible, you do not necessarily need an iPhone to use iMessage on them.}

^{If you do have an iPhone, you can send messages using your phone number straight from your Mac without using your iPhone.If you do have an iPhone and your Mac is set up with the same Apple ID, you can use both devices interchangeably.} 

^{You will be able to see all messages from either device and can send messages from either device with the same phone number. If you don’t have an iPhone, you can still send messages through iMessages on your Mac. Instead of going through a phone number, it will go through your email.} 

^{The recipient of your messages will see that the message came from the email you used to set up your Mac.It will not, however, be sent as an email. It will go through the iMessages app and appear just like a text message.}

^{Can I read regular text messages on my Mac?}

^{While iMessages offers a great way to send messages without an iPhone, it isn’t compatible with a phone that isn’t an iPhone. You aren’t able to connect another phone to your device to view and send messages. Unless you have an iPhone set up with the same Apple ID, you will not be able to see or send regular text messages.}

^{Can I use another SMS app on my Mac?}

^{If you use a different SMS app, you can see messages on your Mac and phone whether or not it is an iPhone.} 

^{With most SMS apps, both the recipient and sender must have the app installed on their device to send and receive messages.} 

^{If you download an SMS app on your phone and Mac, you can see those messages on either device and send messages from either device. Some SMS apps compatible with both Mac and iPhone are Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.} 

^{Facebook Messenger}

^{Facebook Messenger works through WiFi and your Facebook account, so using Facebook Messenger won’t require you to have an iPhone and a Mac.}

^{If you download the Facebook Messenger app on your phone and your Mac, you can see and send messages from either device. If you don’t have a phone, you can still use Facebook messenger to send messages to others.} 

^{To send messages from Facebook Messenger, you will need to connect with your friends on Facebook, and then you will be able to message them through Facebook. It won’t send straight to an email or phone number.} 

^WhatsApp

^{WhatsApp allows you to connect messaging on your desktop and your phone. If you have WhatsApp on both devices, you will be able to see and send messages through either device.}

^{WhatsApp runs on WiFi and won’t require you to have a phone number connected to it. Although, the mobile app does allow you to connect your phone number to your account.}

^{You may use WhatsApp on your Mac without connecting to a phone, but you must have a phone you can get a verification code from. WhatsApp will ask for a phone number when you are setting up an account.} 

^{You can use a landline number or a friend’s phone to receive the verification. Once verified, you won’t need to use the phone number to send and receive messages on your Mac. As with other SMS apps, you will not be able to send or receive messages from those who do not have the app.}