Do you type faster on your Mac than your iPhone? If you send and receive text messages, you might benefit from texting on your Mac.

Apple added support for Text Message Forwarding to iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite in 2014. This feature enables the Mac to send and receive SMS text messages via an iPhone signed into the same Apple ID.

Two years ago I wrote about the relatively new ability to sync text messages among iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. Note: On any supported device running at least iOS 11.4 or macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 (which were released in 2017), this setting is off by default.

One year ago, among the first steps when setting up a new Mac, I recommended enabling Text Message Forwarding to the device.

Use Apple ID for iMessage

To enable Text Message Forwarding, you must be using your Apple ID for iMessage. On your iPhone, open Settings > Messages. If you don’t see Text Message Forwarding, tap Send & Receive, then Use your Apple ID for iMessage. (Sign in if requested.)

Sign Into Other Devices

On a Mac, open Messages and make sure you’re signed into your Apple ID. On an iPad or iPod touch, open Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Look for your Apple ID or tap Use your Apple ID for iMessage, just like above.

Forward to Devices

On iPhone, open Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding. Enable any other devices you want to use to send and receive SMS messages.

I find the ability to send and receive text messages on any of my devices incredibly beneficial, satisfying my values of efficiency and flexibility.

Being able to see the same conversation history in each thread on any device is doubly helpful, enabling me to be thorough in my responses without having to shift my focus to a different screen.

All in all, these messaging features are a big boon to my productivity. What about you?