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Helpful answers
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by Carolyn Samit,Aug 14, 2016 1:20 PM in response to CrabbyThomist
Carolyn Samit
Aug 14, 2016 1:20 PM
in response to CrabbyThomist
Level 10 (120,054 points)
Apple WatchMessages on your Mac only works in tandem with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Mac Basics: Messages helps you chat instantly - Apple Support
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Aug 15, 2016 8:24 AM in response to CrabbyThomistby Eric Root,Try Messages/Preferences/Accounts and add the phone number to You can be reached at.
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by Ralph Johns (UK),★HelpfulAug 15, 2016 3:33 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
Ralph Johns (UK)
Aug 15, 2016 3:33 PM
in response to Carolyn Samit
Level 9 (72,994 points)
ApplicationsHi,
This answer is wrong.
Messages on a Mac can work on it's own but only using the Apple ID.
It can be linked to the iPhone and then both can be set to only use the iPhone Number as the valid ID.
However as soon as you remove the iPhone from the set up the Apple ID will be the only thing you can use.
https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage
If you change to an Android phone that cannot be used in conjunctions with iMessages.
(the Mac version can send SMS when linked the correct way to the iPhone which happens and Yosemite on the Mac and iOS 8 for the iPhone)
As you have posted in Mavericks you may not be able to do this in the first place.
Basically both the iPhone version and the Mac version have slowly gained features along the way.
At Mountain Lion (Messages 7.x.x ) on the Mac you can only link the Apple ID to the iPhone number by adding the Apple ID to the iPhone.
Mavericks (OS X 10.9) becomes Messages 8.x and adds some features.
Yosemite and the iPhone on iOS 8 at least can link the Mac using messages to the iPhone so that SMS messages sent to the iPhone are also sent on to the Mac (and the Mac can Send SMS)
At El Capitan Messages becomes version 9 and continues being able to use the Apple ID and iPhone number if linked and SMS if linked.
That is the way it is designed to work but can work with just an Apple ID on a Mac only.
9:01 pm Monday; August 15, 2016
iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
iPhone and an iPad (2) -
Aug 15, 2016 3:33 PM in response to Ralph Johns (UK)by CrabbyThomist,Thank you for your response. To be more clear, I am not getting an Android phone. I will literally have no cell phone. A further question is will I have to send my Apple ID to each of the contacts on my phone to continue my conversation with them or will it automatically adjust or refer to my Apple ID instead of my phone number?
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Aug 16, 2016 8:26 AM in response to CrabbyThomistby Eric Root,You should be able to just message them using your Apple ID as the from.
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by Ralph Johns (UK),Aug 16, 2016 1:34 PM in response to CrabbyThomist
Ralph Johns (UK)
Aug 16, 2016 1:34 PM
in response to CrabbyThomist
Level 9 (72,994 points)
ApplicationsHi,
Adding to what Eric has said.
IF, at the moment you have both the iPhone and the Mac you can set both devices to "Send From" the Apple ID.
(Yes your Contacts will need to have your Apple ID in the long term)
Both versions of the App have the "Start Conversations From" setting.
If you swap to this first and explain to people you will be changing over then everything should be fine as they will then add you Apple ID to their Contacts app and Messages will do the rest when you send them a new iMessage.
There is no way to "keep alive" the iPhone Number as an ID.
After a prolonged period (over a week or so) the iPhone Number will effectively get "De-registered" from the iMessages Server.
This can happen if you turn your phone Off for a long time, move somewhere that does not have Carrier services that are good enough for iMessages (or lack of WiFi as an alternative).
At a point after that the Mac versions stops being able to send as if it were the iPhone Number.
I have not worked out why the iPhone number is different in this respect compared to the Apple ID that can be used just on the iPhone as well as the Number (i.e without a Mac or iPad or iPod).
9:34 pm Tuesday; August 16, 2016
iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
iPhone and an iPad (2)

