iMessages on Windows, finally

Hey y’all, it’s Austin Carr in Boston. Apple’s prized iMessages are finally coming to Windows. But first…Today’s must-reads:• Amazon paused [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hey y’all, it’s Austin Carr in Boston. Apple’s prized iMessages are finally coming to Windows. But first… Today’s must-reads: • Amazon [paused construction on HQ2]( • Work phones are [making a comeback]( • VW will [build a $2 billion EV and SUV plant]( iMessage goes to 11 Microsoft Corp.’s PC operating system suddenly feels exciting for the first time since Windows 7 made software look like panes of glass. The company drummed up some hype last week for [adding the new Bing chatbot]( to Windows 11, but arguably the coolest change — and one that was largely overlooked — is that users will soon be able to send and receive iPhone text messages directly from their PCs. This may sound minor, but it represents an [opening in Apple Inc.’s platform fortress](. The company has closely guarded iMessage, viewing it as an important way to distinguish its products. Despite [complaints from rivals and antitrust scrutiny](, Apple has kept the messaging app locked down. Microsoft used a sort of workaround to get the text messages. The result isn’t as complete as the Messages app on a Mac; the Windows version doesn’t support group messages, photos or video. But it offers a taste of the conveniences afforded to consumers if ever the platform giants can play nicely together. “Research has been telling us this is something our customers want,” said Ali Akgun, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and devices. Here’s how it works: Using a Microsoft app called Phone Link, users can sync their mobile devices via Bluetooth. Texts sent from the computer are relayed to the iPhone, which sends them as iMessages. Incoming texts are transmitted wirelessly back to the PC from the iPhone. The technology isn’t exactly a revelation. Some cars have offered similar functionality for years. But the arrival on Windows will be a welcome convenience for many people. Going back to the days of BlackBerry Messenger, some tech companies have drilled into us the idea that messaging apps are proprietary and special. Apple realized many years ago that keeping iMessage only available to Apple users [helps dissuade iPhone owners from switching]( to Android. Microsoft has been building out Phone Link for a few years, mostly focused on providing integrations between Windows and Android. The first time I experimented with Phone Link, it felt weird or wrong, as if I were betraying the sanctity of the messaging app on the Google Pixel. The iOS functionality is [only available as a Windows Insider preview](, which I haven’t gotten access to yet. Akgun had personal inspiration for the project: although he’s a devoted Android user, his wife prefers an iPhone. “She should be able to send and receive messages from her PC,” he said. Again, Phone Link is not a full substitution for a proper iMessage app. When pressed on whether Apple will make iMessage available on other platforms, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has demurred. “I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that at this point,” he said last September. But for non-Apple people, especially Android users [suffering with taboo green text bubbles]( among blue iMessages, Microsoft’s Phone Link shows there is indeed appetite for breaking down the arbitrary barriers between these platforms. —[Austin Carr](mailto:acarr54@bloomberg.net) The big story One Airbnb property owner in Queens, New York, racked up an eye-popping $1 million in fines over the course of a single year. New rules taking effect in New York City this spring seek to [prevent illegal short-term rental properties from being listed]( in the first place. Get fully charged Apple’s chief of cloud initiatives is leaving the company, the [latest in a wave of recent executive departures](. Thailand is targeting $57 billion in investment into green technology sectors such as [electric vehicles and smart electronics](. A group of Democratic US senators asked the Justice Department to examine whether Thoma Bravo’s rental software company is [contributing to rising rents across the country](. Video game developers are eyeing Ireland after the country launched a tax incentive program that [offers a refundable corporation tax]( of as much as €8 million. More from Bloomberg Listen: [Foundering: The John McAfee Story]( is a new six-part podcast series retracing the life, the myths and the self-destruction of a Silicon Valley icon. Subscribe for free on [Apple](, [Spotify]( or wherever you get your podcasts. 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