For iPhone users with a Windows computer, the lack of an ecosystem around these devices has always been disappointing. Unlike Mac users, Windows users could not reply to their phone messages right from their computers without interrupting the workflow; they had to pick up their iPhones to do the deed. That is, until now. But Windows 11 users can bid these disappointments goodbye.

The Intel Unison app from Intel now allows you to sync your iPhone with your Windows 11 PC and lets you use iMessage on it. Let’s dive right into it.

What is Intel Unison?

Intel Unison enables you to send/ receive messages and notifications, and transfer files on your Windows 11 computer. It even brings your Photos gallery to it. Though the ‘Phone Link’ app on Windows already exists to serve the same purpose, it missed out on syncing the computer with iOS-based phones. Moreover, it isn’t as fluid as one would expect it.

Fortunately, Intel Unison resolves both of these problems beautifully. Though it requires you to have a companion app on your mobile phone as well, that hardly qualifies as an inconvenience.

Initially, Intel stated that they would be releasing the Unison app for only 12th Gen Evo Systems. However, it seems to be working with PCs sporting other CPUs as well.

One of the limitations of Unison, at the time of writing this article, is that you can only connect one phone with one PC which puts it behind ‘Phone Link’ that supports multiple devices. Another missing feature is the phone mirroring support, though it is speculated that Intel will introduce it in future builds of the app.

That being said, there is some good news too. Since Intel Unison will be using Wi-Fi Direct, unlike the ‘Phone Link’ that requires both devices to be on the same network, the connectivity experience would be better when using the former.

Now, to start using iMessage on your Windows 11 PC, you will need to install the app on both devices and pair them with each other. Simply follow the below-mentioned instructions and you will be done before you know it.

Download Intel Unison on your Windows 11 PC

Intel Unison app is available on the Microsoft Store. However, in some countries, you might not be able to find it via the search tool in the Store app. If that’s the case with you, you can simply head to the website and download the app.

First, head to apps.microsoft.com/store/intelunison using your preferred browser. Then, click on the ‘Get in Store app’ button. This will bring an alert to your screen.

After that, click on the ‘Open Microsoft Store app’ button. This will open the Store on your PC.

Now, click on the ‘Get’ button to download and install the app on your PC.

After that, on your Windows PC, launch the app and click on the ‘Accept & continue’ button.

Now, click on the ‘Allow’ button to share statistics anonymously or click the ‘Don’t Allow’ button to not share them; it’s entirely up to you.

The setup for Unison on your PC is complete and you will be able to see the pairing screen. Head to the next section to download and set up the Unison companion app on your iPhone.

Download and Set Up Unison on your iPhone

Downloading Unison is as simple and easy as downloading any other app from the App Store. First, head to the App Store either from the Home Screen or the App Library of your device.

Next, tap on the ‘Search’ tab in the bottom right corner and then tap on the ‘Search’ bar to continue.

Afterward, type Intel Unison in the search bar and hit the ‘Search’ button on the on-screen keyboard.

From the search results, tap on the ‘Get’ button and provide authentication to download the app on your device

Now, on your iPhone, launch the Intel Unison app, and tap on the ‘Accept & Continue’ button.

After that, tap on either of the ‘Allow’ or ‘Don’t Allow’ buttons to proceed. Again, the choice is yours and does not affect the user experience in any manner.

Now, the app would require permission to access your Contacts, Photos, Local Network, and Bluetooth. Tap on the ‘Let’s go’ button to start granting access. This will bring multiple alerts to your screen one by one.

Next, from the alert, tap on the ‘OK’ button.

After that, tap on the ‘Allow Access to All Photos’ button. To grant access to only selected photos, tap on the ‘Select Photos’ option.

Similarly, tap on the ‘Allow’ button for granting access to the device on your local network and then tap on the ‘OK’ button to grant access to use Bluetooth on the respective alerts.

Pair your iPhone with your Windows 11 PC

Pairing your iPhone with your Windows computer is a really simple process. All you need to do is grant appropriate permissions on your iPhone and either scan a QR code or use a text-based code to link it with the computer.

Note: Make sure your iPhone is connected to your Windows PC via Bluetooth before proceeding.

On your iPhone, once you have granted all permissions, tap on the ‘Scan QR code’ button. Otherwise, tap on the ‘Use text code instead’ button.

Now on your Windows computer, scan the QR code on the screen using your iPhone or click on the ‘Use text code instead’ button.

If you opted for the text-based code, enter the code displayed on your screen in the companion app on your iPhone.

After that, click on the ‘Confirm’ button to verify the device link on your Windows computer.

Once the pairing is successful, you will receive an alert on your iPhone, tap on ‘Allow’ to proceed.

After that, on your iPhone, head to the Settings app and tap on the ‘Bluetooth’ tab.

Next, tap on the ‘i’ button on the connected Windows PC tile to proceed.

Afterward, make sure you enable the toggle for the ‘Show notifications’ option to make sure you receive all notifications from your PC.

The pairing process is now complete. Let’s start sending those iMessages now.

Send iMessage from your Windows PC

Once you have provided all the necessary permissions and paired your iPhone with your Windows computer, sending iMessage should be a breeze.

Note: There is one big restriction with using iMessage with the Unison app. It cannot sync your full message history to the PC yet. Instead, you can only see the messages you receive when the app is open on your computer. Still, it’s a far better alternative than not being able to use iMessage at all on your Windows PC.

On your Windows computer, from the main screen of the Unison app, click on the ‘Send messages’ tile.

You might receive an alert on the screen to enable Bluetooth notifications, click on the ‘Approved’ button as you have already performed the step in the previous section.

Then, in case there are no existing conversations, click on the ‘New conversation’ icon to proceed.

After that, enter the contact name you wish to send iMessage to and hit Enter on your keyboard.

Now, enter the message in the text area and send the message.

You can also send GIFs, Emoticons, and Kaomojis using the ‘Emoji’ button.

At the time of writing this article, there is no visual differentiation if you send an iMessage or an SMS. However, an alert-like window did appear on the screen when we tried to send an SMS but that did not display any information. Hopefully, you will get an alert when sending an SMS in the upcoming builds of the app.

And that’s about it, you have successfully sent an iMessage from your iPhone using your Windows PC.

Being able to pair your iPhone with your Windows PC is something users have been waiting for a long time. With Intel not only bringing Unison into our lives but also ensuring that the app is fluid, users will finally be able to experience seamlessness between these devices.