Create an ‘iMessage Me’ link

With the launch of iMessage on the Mac earlier this month, we now have what I think to be the perfect IM solution – cross device (not platform, sadly) syncing of message histories – why couldn't anyone do this earlier?

You may like to add an iMessage Me link to your website/blog to make it easier for people visiting your page from a Mac or iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) – just a tap and they're all set to iMessage you.

For whatever reason, iOS and OS X use different URL schemes for iMessage – I understand why Messages for Mac may not want to adopt the sms: scheme, but I find it odd that iOS doesn't like theimessage: scheme. So we're left with two different schemes depending on the platform your visitor is using.

Using some fancy PHP trickery, here's some code that will detect your visitor's operating system, and based on that display either a sms: link or an imessage: one.

PHP

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<?php $useragent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']; if(preg_match('/Macintosh/',$useragent)) $os = 'imessage'; elseif(preg_match('/iPhone/',$useragent)) $os = 'sms'; else $os = 'sms'; echo $os; ?>

Throw this inbetween your standard link and you're good to go.

For example:

XHTML

1	<a href="PHPCODEGOESHERE:your@email.com">iMessage me!</a>

Or, put together:

XHTML

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<a href="<?php $useragent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']; if(preg_match('/Macintosh/',$useragent)) $os = 'imessage'; elseif(preg_match('/iPhone/',$useragent)) $os = 'sms'; else $os = 'sms'; echo $os; ?>:your@email.com">iMessage me!</a>

And in action:
iMessage me!

Tapping/clicking on this will bring up the Messages app on either platform with your email address pre-filled. Nifty.

And if you're not on an iPhone with iOS 5 installed, or some other handset, this should bring up an MMS window with your email address pre-filled too.