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Life & fun · August 20, 2026

Linux and iPhone Continuity (iMessage / SMS)

After switching to 100% Linux a couple of years ago there was basically only one thing I missed about macOS and that was what Apple calls "Continuity". It's where you get texts, notifications, clipboard sync, file transfer (to/from) the iPhone from the Mac desktop. Especially that thing where OTP codes via text autofilled into the browser form I was waiting on. It took about 4 months of work: - reverse-engineering Apple/iOS Bluetooth behavior - MAP / OBEX - Bluetooth LE + Wi-Fi working together - iMessage through the iPhone's own cellular/iMessage stack - iOS app, Linux…

Linux and iPhone Continuity (iMessage / SMS) launched on August 20, 2026 with 10 votes, #1,032 of 23,274 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches.

Visit github.com ↗Alternativestop 4% of August 2026

In plain words

Tether enables Linux users to access iPhone features like iMessage, SMS, notifications, clipboard sync, and file transfer directly from their desktop, mimicking Apple's Continuity feature. The project includes an iOS app, Linux daemon, GTK application, and browser extensions for Firefox and Thunderbird. It works through reverse-engineered Bluetooth and iMessage protocols without requiring a Mac, allowing automatic OTP code autofill in web forms.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Linux + iPhone Continuity / iMessage / SMS. Contribute to zackb/tether development by creating an account on GitHub.

In the maker’s words, at launch

After switching to 100% Linux a couple of years ago there was basically only one thing I missed about macOS and that was what Apple calls "Continuity". It's where you get texts, notifications, clipboard sync, file transfer (to/from) the iPhone from the Mac desktop. Especially that thing where OTP codes via text…

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