For years, Android users have dreamed of the day when iMessage support would arrive on their phones and other favorite devices. Unfortunately, Apple still hasn’t got the memo, even when the brand has been challenged (not directly) by various Google executives. In previous years, workarounds weren’t exactly the best, and hardly ever worked consistently. Today, the situation is improving for those wishing to use iMessage on Chromebooks and other devices, thanks to AirMessage.
What you need to use iMessage on Chromebooks
To get everything set up so you can use iMessage on the best Chromebooks, you’ll need a few things:
- a Mac running macOS 10.10 Yosemite or higher
- an AirMessage server
- an AirMessage companion application
- an active Apple ID
Unfortunately, the bottom line here is that you actually need a compatible macOS device for everything to work. Fortunately, this version of macOS is compatible with various Mac models, but you’ll get the best support with any Mac released in mid-2012 or later. This includes a MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro 2012. You’ll also need to have an active Apple ID and be logged into the Messages application. If you already own an iPhone, you don’t need to worry about this. With all that in mind, you’re ready to get started.
How do I install AirMessage?
If you have a compatible Mac, you first need to download and install the AirMessage Server application. For your information, the application has recently been updated to support Macs using the Apple Silicon (also known as the M1 series of chips). 1. From your Mac, go to the AirMessage home page 2. In the Server installation section, click on the download button next to AirMessage Server for macOS
3. Once the download is complete, open the Finder application on your Mac 4. Go to the Downloads folder 5. Double-click on the AirMessage Server ZIP file to open it
6. When finished, drag and drop the unzipped AirMessage application into your Applications folder.
7. Click on Applications in the macOS Finder sidebar to open the folder 8. Locate the AirMessage application and double-click on the icon to open it.
9. When prompted by the security window, click on the Open button
10. On first start-up, a Welcome to AirMessage Server window appears. Click on the Connect an account button (recommended)
11. Click on the Connect with Google button
12. Follow the on-screen steps to connect to your Google account 13. Once your account has been registered, you’ll see a “Computer registered successfully” window. Simply click on the OK button to continue
Providing access to security and confidentiality
Once the AirMessage server has been installed, there are just a few steps left to enable full access to your iMessages with AirMessage. This involves enabling confidentiality access in AirMessage. 1. Open the System Preferences application on your Mac 2. Click on the Security & Privacy icon
3. Make sure the Privacy tab is selected at the top of the panel.
4. In the sidebar, scroll down and select Automation 5. Scroll down until you see AirMessage and make sure that System events and messages are ticked.
6. In the sidebar, scroll down and select Full disk access
7. Click on the lock icon in the bottom right-hand corner
8. Enter your Mac’s administrative password 9. Scroll down the right-hand side until you see AirMessage 10. Click the checkbox next to AirMessage to authorize access.
11. Once access has been activated, click again on the lock icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
Don’t let your Mac go to sleep
Now that the AirMessage server has access to the necessary security and confidentiality functions, it needs to communicate with iMessage. All that’s left is a series of steps. 1. Open the System Preferences application on your Mac 2. If you’re using a Mac desktop, such as a Mac Mini, click on Power Saver 3. Drag the Turn off screen after: slider to an hour or whatever you prefer 4. Slide the Computer sleep option slider to Never 5. Check the box for Wake up for network access 6. Exit the System Preferences application You may have noticed that we haven’t covered the necessary steps if you’re using an Apple laptop as your desktop computer. This is because macOS automatically freezes all running software, even when the lid is closed. If you’re using a compatible MacBook model to set up AirMessage, you’ll need to download an application like Amphetamine (opens in a new tab) from the Mac App Store, or follow the steps below. 1. Open the System Preferences application on your Mac 2. Click on the Battery icon
3. In the sidebar, select Power Adapter
4. Check the box next to Prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep when the screen is off 5. Click the checkbox next to Put hard disks to sleep when possible
6. Slide the Turn off screen after: option to Never
Use the Terminal application to keep your Mac on
If you want to go one step further to make sure your MacBook never goes to sleep, there’s a command you can enter. It’s called Caffeinate, and it’s been around on macOS for a few years now. 1. Open the Terminal application on your MacBook
2. Enter caffeinate -is 3. Press Enter
Once this option has been activated, your Mac will no longer automatically go to sleep, including the hard disk, allowing AirMessage to continue working. As this involves terminal commands, here’s what each command means:
- Caffeinate is the command that prevents the MacBook from entering sleep mode, but the screen and hard disk can still be turned off
- -i prevents the MacBook from entering sleep mode after not being used for a certain period of time.
- -s is most often used with laptops, and prevents the system from entering a “forced” sleep mode. This part of the command only applies when you’re not using the battery.
By far the simplest method is to download an application like Amphetamine. It takes care of all the settings you need to change to keep your MacBook running. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about entering the wrong command and potentially having to reset your MacBook.
How do I use iMessage on Chromebooks?
So you’ve got your Mac set up, AirMessage configured and you’re connected. Now it’s time for the easiest part of the whole process. Using iMessage on Chromebooks. 1. From your Chromebook, go to web.airmessage.org 2. In the address bar, click on the Install application button 3. Click on Install when prompted.
4. Click on the Sign in with Google button on the right-hand side of the PWA 5. Log in with the same Google account you used to set up the AirMessage server.
You can now view and reply to all incoming iMessages. You can also start new conversations and view them from your Chromebook, iPhone, Mac or other AirMessage-enabled device.
It’s also worth pointing out that there’s an AirMessage app available for download from the Google Play Store. It’s essentially a web wrapper for the AirMessage client, but if you have a Chromebook capable of downloading and installing Android apps from the Play Store, it’s another option.
Otherwise, you can simply follow the steps above to use the AirMessage web client. From there, there should be a button in the address bar prompting you to install the Progressive Web App. This works like a normal app, but should receive updates much faster than the Play Store version.
It’s not perfect, but it works
Needless to say, using iMessage on Chromebooks is a lot more complicated than it sounds. You need a bunch of different things that you might not even have, especially if you only have an iPhone and a Chromebook. There’s another app that gets around this problem, but you have to create a virtual machine with macOS, which is an even bigger headache and may not work. Nevertheless, it is possible to use iMessage on Chromebooks, but you’ll need to ensure that the AirMessage server is constantly running and connected to a network.