OS X Mountain Lion Bible

Using Messages

E-mail (see Chapter 18) is a great way to send lengthy messages or messages to multiple people, but it can be cumbersome for quick messages. Instant messaging, also called chat, is a simpler, faster way to “talk” to someone over computers using text. To help you chat, OS X comes with the Messages application.

New Feature

OS X Mountain Lion has renamed the iChat instant messaging application from previous versions of OS X to Messages and incorporated the iMessage service into it as well, resulting in some changes to how the application works and adding new capabilities such as conversation forwarding, group messaging, message searching, message encryption, read receipts, and full-screen mode. (The application is called Messages, and the service is called iMessage.) Thus, Messages gives Macs the same iMessage capabilities that iOS 5 and 6 users have, while retaining the ability to use iChat's historic instant-messaging services.

Setting up Messages

The first time you launch Messages, it sets up an iMessage account for you, asking for your Apple ID and password to do so. If you don't have such a password, you can sign up for one. Your Apple ID and password are what iMessage uses to identify you as you on any Mac or iOS device you have—assuming they have the same Apple ID and password, of course.

Note

If you have already configured an iCloud account in the Mail, Contacts & Calendar system preference or in the iCloud system preference (see Chapter 27), you are not ...