Apple has today released macOS 10.13.5 to the public, bringing support for Messages in iCloud.
First announced in June of last year, Messages in iCloud brings much improved message syncing - meaning that deleting a message on one device will also remove it from any other devices that use the same Apple ID. When setting up a new device, all of your existing messages will be available. Additionally, older messages and attachments are stored in iCloud rather than locally on your device, so should free up storage space.
These are the steps to enable Messages in iCloud on your Mac:
- Launch Messages
- Go to Messages > Preferences
- Select the Accounts tab
- Click the Enable Messages in iCloud checkbox
Messages should now synchronize across all of your devices. Note that depending upon how many messages you already have stored in iCloud, this process may take a few minutes to complete when first enabled on your Mac.
At the time of writing, full release notes for macOS 10.13.5 were not immediately available; however, it appears as though support for Messages in iCloud may be the only notable outward-facing change in this release. We are also unaware of any accessibility-related changes for blind and low vision users in macOS 10.13.5. However, if you do spot any fixes, regressions or enhancements, please do let us know by posting a comment below.
macOS 10.13.5 is available via the updates tab in the Mac App Store.