Microsoft's latest attempt to bridge the gap between PCs and mobile devices is a new Skype feature called SMS Connect, which will allow users to send and receive text messages directly from their PCs.
SMS Connect isn't a radical feature by any means, as texting from computers has been possible for years through iMessage on iOS and various third-party apps on Android. Even still, Skype comes as a welcome addition to the list of platforms that support it.
Skype Gets SMS Connect Feature: Here's What It's For
Microsoft-focused blog Windows Italia first reported about the feature, finding SMS Connect buried in the preview settings of the Skype app for Android. Users aren't allowed to activate it yet, though, and it remains unclear when Microsoft will enable the feature.
Some users have reported being able to activate SMS Connect on the desktop version of Skype, though they say it's not working smoothly at the moment. Bugs are, of course, no surprise in a testing phase, which seems to be the stage Microsoft is currently in with SMS Connect.
Even though it's not fully functional yet and though there's still no word from either Microsoft or Skype as of writing, SMS Connect is, in fact, real: the official Twitter account of Microsoft's Skype Insider Program has confirmed that the company is gathering feedback about the feature and is working on it.
"Based on your feedback for this feature, we're really excited to introduce SMS Connect to Insiders! You've seen our sneak peak of the setting in 8.29. We'll let you know what scenarios to help test in future builds as we light up the feature."
Is SMS Connect Coming To Skype For iOS?
Based on current reports, SMS Connect appears to be locked to Windows 10 and Android devices only, and the company has yet to make an announcement whether the feature is also coming to iOS at some point. iOS users likely wouldn't mind not having it, though — they'd probably stick with iMessage anyway since it offers a similar functionality.
Skype isn't the only app that'll support PC-based texting in the future. Microsoft also announced an app-in-development a while back called Your Phone, which will let users more easily access photos, SMS, and other content on their phone using their PC. Unlike SMS Connect, Your Phone is coming to both Android and iOS, thankfully.
Windows Insiders will be able to test SMS Connect in upcoming builds to help with the bug-squashing, which is just par for the course with these beta programs. If you're a regular user, however, you'll have to wait a bit longer.
