Only found one Desktop/Tablet/Phone SMS app that works: Pulse SMS

[PaulQ]

I have tried Pushbullet, Join, mySMS, and MightyText (my longtime favorite) and none of them provided consistent or even functioning texting from your desktop or tablet. I tried them with my favorite, Textra, Google Messenger and the stock SMS app. Something with the Mate 9 prevents all of these from using it for desktop and/or tablet texting.

I did find one solution that works: Pulse SMS

Pulse SMS has a website, a Chrome extension and its app. It keeps all your texts on the web and in the app on other devices. I have it installed on my tablet and it shows all of my message histories. Very convenient.

You have to use the app as your texting app. It's not a bad app. I still think Textra has a bit of an edge but Pulse has many of the same features. It comes from the same developer who did EvolveSMS and Talon. I'm getting adjusted to using Pulse as my texting app and it's growing on me.

Pulse is a paid app but I think it's reasonably priced. You get a 7 day trial.

I am not affiliated with the developer. Just sharing my experience so if you are looking to text from your computer and/or tablet on the Mate 9, this is the way to go.

 

[stylon69]

So this is basically iMessage but for Android? How does it send texts from a PC/Tablet - does it require your phone to be on or does it send them via the Internet?

 

[charmz2k2]

You can use HiSuite to send messages from the PC too...

 

[PaulQ]

So this is basically iMessage but for Android? How does it send texts from a PC/Tablet - does it require your phone to be on or does it send them via the Internet?

No, not exactly. iMessage does not have a desktop interface for texting. The iPad version only lets you send messages to other iPhone users from the iPad. It doesn't let you send regular SMS messages which is necessary if you want to send texts to anyone that doesn't use an iPhone.

These Android service use your Gmail account to get the messages to your phone and the phone to send/receive the texts. The phone does the actual sending and receiving. If your phone is off, it won't work.

SMS is a very old system but I still use it. Services like WhatsApp are cross-platform and can be used on many devices. They use data channels to send/receive messages (WiFi, mobili data).