Microsoft had promised to make iMessage available in Windows 11 by mid-May: it’s May 16, and the Phone Link app for iPhone is starting to roll out in 85 countries around the world, as an attack on Apple’s ecosystem .
The integration between the iPhone and Windows has just taken a big step. Microsoft had teased how to use iMessage on Windows 11, it is now a reality. The Redmond company has started to deploy its update in 85 countries and in 39 languages.
The Phone Link app is available for download now on iOS. It allows iPhone owners to connect to a Windows 11 PC to send and receive messages via iMessage, and to make and receive calls. This app also helps to see all notifications from an iPhone on a Windows PC.
To send messages with an iPhone from Windows, it will be necessary to go through Bluetooth. Indeed, Phone Link works by sending messages via Bluetooth to the Contacts application of the smartphone. Apple’s iOS then intercepts these messages and forces them to be sent through iMessage, similar to how when a message is sent to another iOS user, the iPhone turns it into a blue bubble.
iPhone iMessage in Windows, an attack on Apple
This little trick that exploits the flaws of Apple’s iOS has its limits. While it will be possible to send and receive messages when Phone Link is open, iMessage chat history will not be searchable, nor will group conversations. Additionally, the Phone Link app for iPhone is rather stripped down compared to that available for Android: photo support is absent and it’s not possible to launch phone apps in Windows, unlike Android.
Nevertheless, this update is a well-placed little blow from Microsoft to attack Apple and its ecosystem. This is the trademark of the Apple firm: once an Apple product has been purchased, the customer has every interest in continuing to purchase high-tech products from the same brand. He can thus benefit from the virtuous interactions of the ecosystem, thanks to Apple’s proprietary applications. Thus, iOS and macOS benefit from considerable integration and the two operating systems intertwine in a web that is very difficult to leave once woven.
To read: Windows 11: the huge Moment 3 update is coming, what’s new?
For now, Phone Link is not a threat to the features offered by macOS for iPhone users. However, Microsoft’s application for Windows could gradually expand and offer more features to Apple users. Faced with the price tags when buying a computer, the consumer might wonder whether the price of Macs is worth it as the iPhone becomes usable on Windows 11.
