Please,
I have always been able to send messages from my iMAC running 10.12 to ALL phones. Had to do a complete restore of my iMAC, and now I cannot send messages to Android phones. I have tried to scour the preferences for help – to no avail.
Thanks much.
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Kateri Dupuis
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How-to Send Messages From iMac To Android Phones?
Comments: 3 Responses to “How-to Send Messages From iMac To Android Phones?”
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So there are two different messaging systems you are dealing with. iMessage is a system from Apple where you can send messages through Apple's servers for free. You can do it from iPhones, iPads and Macs to other iPhones, iPads and Macs. But there is no way to end or receive from non-Apple products since it is an Apple system.
SMS is the system that has been in place for a long time that is run by mobile phone providers. You can send between any phones that are on a mobile provider system. It works on your iPhone because you have a mobile provider. It does not work on your Mac or iPad because those devices don't use mobile providers.
A few years back, Apple found a way to bridge the two systems. If you have an iPhone you can have your other Apple devices, like your Mac, send a message through the iPhone to the SMS system. This is part of the Continuity feature in macOS and iOS (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204681).
It sounds like you simply need to re-enable this feature on your iPhone. It probably is looking for your "old" Mac -- the restore has made your Mac look like a "new" Mac to your iPhone. On your iPhone, go to Settings, Messages, and then look for Text Message Forwarding. You should see a list of your devices there. Make sure it is turned on. Also, check that link above for more instructions under the "Set up SMS and MMS messaging" heading. Make sure your Mac and iPhone are using the same Apple ID for iCloud and Messages.
I would need to know if you're talking about using your email or an app for messages. I've not found a way to message from Mac to Android phones except thru email.
Kate: You can use the Messages app on your Mac to send mobile provider "SMS" messages to Android phones. But it has to go through an iPhone. See my comment above and the link I mention.