Apple Guide Podcast

Apple Guide Podcast


Continuity of the Apple Ecosystem (Part 2)

May 07, 2021

Last week, we took a look at the Apple Ecosystem and some of the continuity features that keep all of your Apple devices connected, like Universal Clipboard, AirDrop, Handoff, and more. I will leave a link to that video below. Today, we will continue looking at continuity features within the Apple Ecosystem.

https://youtu.be/8gVwUl7QtTc

For the best results, here are some settings you want to take a look at. First, all of your devices should be running the latest software updates and signed into the same iCloud account with 2-factor authentication enabled. Also, Bluetooth should be enabled, and all of your devices connected to the same WIFI network. Now, if you don't check all of these boxes, there is still a chance that some of these features may work so, it won't hurt to try anyways.

Those in the Apple ecosystem are probably familiar with the blue bubble. Yes, I'm talking about iMessage. But, before we look at the blue bubbles, let's look at the less appealing green bubbles. So, regular SMS messages are confined to those green bubbles. You'll usually see these when you're messaging someone who doesn't have an iPhone, like Android users who are still stuck with the old-school short messaging service. Texting pictures to green bubble people, on the other hand, will use the Multimedia Message Service, or MMS for short. You also may encounter a green bubble when talking to iPhone users who either don't have iMessage enabled or don't have cellular data. For most of us in the Apple ecosystem, iMessage allows for group chats with more than ten people, sending large files, and read receipts, all features that SMS does not currently support. This is why a lot of Android users prefer using a messaging service, like Signal or Telegram.

Beyond being just a feature-packed messaging service for texting other Apple devices, there are also multiple continuity features. For instance, if you have an iPad or Mac, you can use those devices to send messages as if sending a text message from your iPhone. Then, when someone sends you an iMessage, it's sent to all of your Apple devices. In addition to receiving your iMessages to every device, you can choose which of your Apple devices you would like your SMS messages forwarded to. But, those tools only forward your messages to all of your devices. So, if you delete a message thread from your iPhone, it will still be on all of your other Apple devices. If you prefer your messages sync between your devices, then you can enable Messages in iCloud. Now, when you delete that message thread on your iPhone, it will be deleted across all your devices.

And, there's is a lot more to iMessage than that. So, lookout for a future post on all of iMessage's cool features in more detail.

Like iMessage, you can make and accept FaceTime calls from all of your Apple devices. But, did you know you can make and receive normal phone calls from any device? If you hop on your iPhone and open Phone settings, you can choose which devices to forwarded calls to. Now, when someone calls your cell phone, you can pick up that call on your Mac or iPad. You can also make cell phone calls from your Mac or iPad by right-clicking on a phone number and choosing "Call using iPhone."

So, to unlock your Mac, you have to either enter your password or use Touch ID on your newer MacBook. But, if you have an Apple Watch, you can use auto-unlock to sign you in to your Mac automatically. To enable auto-unlock on your Mac, open the Security & Privacy preference pane, and go to the General tab. From there, you should be able to enable "Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac." Now, when you wake up your Mac,