Even a few short years ago, the idea of getting text messages on your computer or tablet might have seemed a bit odd. Texts were for phones, and were usually for casual chats with friends and family, while computers were more often used for work or for school.
Today, it's entirely acceptable for colleagues to use texts to discuss business matters, for a contractor and homeowner to work out the details of a project via text, and for liaising with anyone from a hairdresser to a doctor's office.
Thus the ability to send and receive text messages from a computer or tablet is more than novelty; it's quite convenient and can even ensure you don't miss an important text. And should you ever lose your iPhone, or if your phone is out of battery when you're expecting a critical message, you'll be happy you had the foresight to set up text message forwarding on your iPhone.
However, any device you want to forward texts to needs to share an Apple ID with you. So you can't forward texts to any random phone or iPad — you'll need to log into your Apple ID account first.
How to set up text message forwarding on an iPhone
1. Open the Messages app on the device (computer or iPad, e.g.) you want to link to your phone.
2. Sign into your Apple ID account, and wait for a text message with a confirmation code.
3. On your iPhone, open the Settings app and go to the "Messages" tab.
4. Tap the words "Text Message Forwarding."
5. On the next screen, tap the button beside the device where you set up Messages ("Your Name's MacBook Pro," for example) so it toggles to green.
Texts sent to your phone will now also be shared with the device(s) you have allowed. You can send and receive texts there, and can disable the forwarding by simply toggling that button under "Text Message Forwarding" off again.
And note that if you don't see a "Text Message Forwarding" tab, you need to complete two quick steps. First, at the top of the Messages screen, toggle "iMessage" off then on again. Then hit the tab that says "Send & Receive" and tap your Apple ID, making sure it is signed in.
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