Q: How do I sync my Messages between my Mac, iPhone, and my iPad?

Are you expecting therm to be in sync going forward or are you thinking that the Mac version should show all messages that show on your iPhone?

This can be a bit tricky to set up, but it is possible.

in Messages (OS X):

1. Launch Messages and open Prefs > Accounts.

2. Make sure you are logged in with the AppleID you are using all your devices.

3. Set caller ID to this email address/AppleID.

iPad:

1. Go to Settings > Messages.

2. Make sure iMessage is set to ON.

3. Tap "receive at" and make sure you are logged in with the same AppleID you are using on your Mac.

4. Tap "caller ID" and make sure that email address/AppleID is selected.

iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > Messages.

2. Make sure iMessage and Send as SMS are both set to ON.

3. Tap "recieve at" and make sure you are logged into the same AppleID as on your Mac and iPad.

4. Tap "caller ID" and make sure that email address/AppleID is selected.

Going forward, when anyone on an IOS device sends you a Message they need to send it to your AppleID/email address, NOT your phone number. In this way all messages will be in sync across all devices.

You're welcome.

If the messages are in blue, then yes, they are iMessages. Regular SMS messages are in green.

Right, I think this is the confusion I was having. If someone sends me an iMessage from their iPhone to mine, they may use my cell nummer. This is still an iMessage, but it will ONLY come to my phone and that conversation will never sync to my Messages app on 10.8. However if they send an iMessage from their phone to my email address (the email address that is being used for the Apple ID login, the "Recieve At" address and the "Caller ID"), the message will go to both my phone and my Messages app on 10.8.

The Caller ID setting used, I am assuming, doesnt direct messages anywhere, but it does tell the receiver where how the message was sent--therefore encouraging future messages to come through the method preferred (in my case, the email address and not the cell phone numer so I can receive at my computer as well).

The above is me just regurgitating what I THINK I learned from a couple of threads now. If Im wrong, someone please set me straight because this whole Messages syncing has given me a lot of headaches!

You've got it right. And it is kind of complicated. It took me a few weeks to actually figure out how it all worked.

Whoops. Double post.

Since some future update to iPad might possibly potentially maybe perhaps allow you to receive iMessages sent to your iPhone's phone number, I would imagine OS X would follow.... IF this were to happen, of course.

I don't know anything about future updates, though, so this is simply pure conjecture

This did not work for me.

I have only one apple ID and when I go to my computer "MESSAGES" app..none of the conversations sync. There are none of my chats that download to the MESSAGES app. I've checked everything.

I tried disabling the account and renabling

I tried deleting Messages Prefs.

Nothing.

Past message threads do not sync. Only new message threads.

in Messages (OS X):

1. Launch Messages and open Prefs > Accounts.

2. Make sure you are logged in with the AppleID you are using all your devices.

3. Set caller ID to this email address/AppleID.

I, too, have been trying to receive iMessages on both my iphone and imac. My question is where to find the "set caller ID to this email address/AppleID" in Messages. I do not see this in the Prefs > Accounts.

Can you help me find this, please?

Lynn

If you highlight the email account in the left panel that you want iMessages sent to, you should see the email address listed in the "You can be reached for messages at:" section on the right side.  If it's not there, I believe you should be able to click on the "+" and add it.

The setting is here: