How to get iMessage on Windows PC

January 8, 2023

iMessage is quite popular among Apple users for many reasons, and it's fair to say that these reasons are indeed justified.

Back in 2013, there was talk of porting iMessage to Android. But that idea was later scrapped as it was decided that Apple wanted to keep iMessage exclusive to its users, a unique selling point.

There are so many cool things you can do in iMessage, like:

Play built-in games with friends 🎮
Send GIFs 💃
Send messages with cool effects ✨
Send stickers 😃
Share Music 🎵
translate your conversation 🈂️

The great thing about iMessage is that it syncs with other Apple products in real time. For example, you can continue the same conversation on your Macbook that you left on your iPhone.

This gives you a lot of convenience and saves you a lot of time.

What if you have a Windows PC and not a Macbook?

Here comes the terrible question. Not all of us have the entire Apple ecosystem, which is why it's quite common for you to use an iPhone and a Windows PC instead of a Macbook.

However, the problem is that iMessage only syncs with Apple products like Macbooks, so if you're using a Windows PC, there's no direct or official way to use iMessage.

It also means you will run into awkward situations like having to unlock and check your iPhone every time you receive an iMessage text.

Imagine that you have to repeatedly stop working on your computer to check the messages you receive on your iPhone. Pretty distracting if you ask me!

Luckily, it has a few workarounds and you can use iMessage on your Windows PC using any of the methods mentioned below.

Let's get right into it.

Appcircle

A web emulator is the most convenient way to run mobile applications on your computer, and Appcircle will help you with this. It's an in-browser emulator for iOS and Android that lets you view apps right in your browser.

Pretty cool because it doesn't require you to download anything. The best thing about Appcircle is that it is very flexible regardless of the operating system or device it is running on.

For example, you can easily run iOS and Android apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. Among these applications is iMessage.

Once activated, your iMessages will be displayed in a web browser on a Windows PC.

appetite

Trusted by some of the biggest companies like Shopify and Doordash, Appetize is another web emulator to run iMessage on PC.

With this tool, you can launch any application in any browser and the whole process will take no more than a few minutes. As soon as you select an app in the emulator, it will immediately start streaming it.

Appetize allows you to choose any version of the app to run. In addition, if you want to use it for more than just personal purposes, this is also possible due to the scalability of this solution.

The free version will give you 100 minutes of usage per month. You will have to upgrade to one of the premium plans for anything more.

Alternative server

This emulator, AltServer, is not a web interface, but is software that you can download to your Windows PC to run applications like iMessage. Follow these simple steps to use this solution:

Step 1: Download and install AltServer on your Windows PC. Be sure to set it up using the setup.exe file.

Step 2: After installation, you need to find the AltServer file on your computer and click on it, then you will be prompted to install iCloud. Go ahead and download it.

Step 3: Once you have downloaded and installed iCloud on your computer, connect your iOS device to your computer.

Step 4: Once connected, go down to the bottom right corner of the screen and you will see the "AltStore" icon. Left click on it and it will display those options. You need to hover your mouse over "Install AltStore" and then click on the connected device.

Step 5: A pop-up window will appear asking for your Apple ID credentials. Go ahead and fill this out before clicking "Install".

Step 6: Once the installation is complete, you will be able to open the iOS device screen on your computer. You will notice an app installed on your iOS device called "AltStore". This is an application from which you will be able to launch any application on your computer.

Now, on the screen of the iOS device that is open on your PC, you can see the “Untrusted developer” pop-up, which means that the solution is not yet trusted.

You can quickly fix this by going to Settings > General > Device Management > Developer App and then pressing AltStore on it. It will ask if you want to trust this app, so click "Trust".

You can now open the AltStore app and use iMessage on your Windows PC.

Chrome Remote Desktop

This method of using iMessage on your Windows PC is very reliable and is called Chrome Remote Desktop. It's an extension from Google, so you can trust it completely and the process isn't too complicated.

However, the only problem is that you will also need a connected macOS system to host between your PC and iOS device. Do not worry; you don't always need a Macbook; it's just for connecting for the first time.

Your Macbook must have iMessage installed, and both your PC and Macbook must have the Chrome Remote Desktop extension installed. After installation, you will be prompted to enable remote access on both computers before you receive a passcode to connect devices.

This will transfer the screen of your iOS device to your Windows PC.

Summary

The above workarounds for using iMessage on PC will help you save time and make your work much easier while keeping you productive. Don't forget that this will also eliminate the possibility of you getting distracted again and again.