iMessage Sync

We're excited to announce that our iMessage integration is now available in beta! With this feature, you can sync your iMessage interactions seamlessly and keep your contacts and last interactions up to date.

Let us know if you have any feedback, requests, or bug reports—we're excited to refine and improve this feature based on your input.

How iMessage Sync Works

Here are some key details to keep in mind about how iMessage sync functions:

• iMessage exchanges are synced, including SMS messages.
• The sync also captures scheduled messages and will update the last interaction date accordingly.
• Contacts synced from iMessage will be placed in a new "iMessage Contacts" group.
• Automatic last interaction updates – When you send or receive messages, the contact's last interaction time is updated.
• Hourly syncing – iMessage sync occurs every hour as long as your computer is connected to the internet.
• Automatic contact name updates – If a name is added to an unnamed contact, we'll update it automatically.
• Duplicate resolution – We'll check for existing Dex contacts by name to avoid duplicates.

iMessage Data Handling

Dex stores and reads iMessage data locally on your device. We only save the last message (the one visible on your contact view) and some related metadata—such as the sender and the date.

This means that even in the unlikely event your Dex account is compromised, the full contents of your iMessage conversations are not at risk. We don't store entire message histories on our servers—just that last message snapshot.

How the last message looks on the web/desktop app:

How the last message looks on the mobile app:

Can Dex show me the text messages I missed today?

No. Dex has no inbox for your text messages and no unread or missed-message view, so there is nothing that can list the SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp messages you missed today or still owe a reply to. Copilot can't answer it either: ask it about a contact by name and it will tell you their most recent message, because that snippet is part of their contact details — but it has nothing to search across, so it can't work out what you missed.

What the sync does give you is per contact, not per day:

• The last message with that contact — a short snippet, who sent it, and when — shown on their contact card.
• An updated last interaction date, so a contact you texted recently moves down your keep-in-touch list.
• A link back to the conversation in Messages, so you can open the full thread on your Mac.

Dex never stores your full message history on its servers, which is what makes a missed-message view impossible today rather than merely missing. To find the people you have not spoken to lately, use Keep in Touch instead — it works from those last interaction dates.

What you need

iMessage and phone call history live on macOS, so this sync runs only in the Mac version of the Dex desktop app. There is no Windows, web, or mobile equivalent.

Sync happens inside the Dex desktop app itself. The standalone Dex Sync Utility that earlier versions asked you to download has been retired. If it is still installed on your Mac it will keep reading the same databases as the desktop app, doing the work twice, and you can move it to the Trash.

Getting Started