Linux and iPhone Continuity (iMessage / SMS)
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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 daemon, GTK app, Thunderbird/Firefox extension- no Mac involvedBut it is now something I'd love to show people. Contributions/bugs/feedback welcome!
HN · launched Aug 20, 2026 · 10 upvotes (top 42%) · 0 views
Niche: messaging and automation bots · 156 launches, 11 in the last 7 days ▼ -45% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Communication
- Prosumer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 156 launches in messaging and automation bots →
Could you build this?
No Recreating Apple Continuity on Linux requires reverse-engineering proprietary Apple protocols (APNs, ApplePushService, Bluetooth LE proximity beacons, and iMessage encryption) or interacting with native Apple device daemons.
What it would actually take: This requires implementing reverse-engineered Apple ecosystem protocols such as Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL), Bluetooth Low Energy continuity handshakes, and either tapping into jailbroken iOS daemons or emulating macOS push services/SRP authentication to intercept APNs and iMessage databases. The system needs custom low-level Linux daemon services, D-Bus integration, and cryptographically secure pairing protocols, demanding reverse-engineering and security engineering skills.
Discussion
2 comments analyzed.
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 458 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #229 of 459 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 295 days after the earliest competitor.
- TextDocket · ph · 2026-10-17 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.53
- AppleFileViewer · ph · 2026-09-27 · 4 upvotes · similarity 0.51
- vphone-linux · github · 2026-10-21 · 45 upvotes · similarity 0.50
- omarchy-ios-kit · github · 2026-10-10 · 54 upvotes · similarity 0.49
- phoneuse · github · 2026-11-07 · 605 upvotes · similarity 0.48
- Email-to-iMessage · ph · 2026-10-20 · 8 upvotes · similarity 0.46
- iBlueText · ph · 2026-11-12 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.46
- Macky · ph · 2026-09-24 · 3 upvotes · similarity 0.45
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