Relatable

Sync iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS and calls

Install the desktop app on your Mac and your texts, WhatsApp messages, and calls land on the right contact automatically.

4 min readLast checked Aug 30, 2026Mac onlyBeta
WalkthroughRelatable changes fast — what you see in the app may be a little ahead of this video. The written steps below stay current.

Install the desktop app on your Mac and your texts, WhatsApp messages, and calls start showing up on the right contact's profile automatically.

This feature is in beta. It's fully working, but you may run into rough edges from time to time.

Why it matters

A lot of real relationship history happens outside email — a quick text, a WhatsApp thread, a phone call. If none of that reaches Relatable, your picture of a contact is missing half the story. This brings it in, so a profile reflects everything, not just what happened over email.

This only works if you have an iPhone and a Mac or other Apple desktop. There's no equivalent yet for anyone on Windows or Android.

How it works

Your Mac already keeps a local copy of your iMessage and SMS conversations and your call history, along with your address book. The desktop app for macOS reads that local copy and syncs it to Relatable, nothing else. iMessage and SMS conversations, and your call history, come in through the app and match to contacts. Each one shows up as an interaction on the contact whose number or email matches. Only the timestamp of your last message with someone, and the timestamp and duration of your calls, gets synced — never the content of a message, an attachment, or a call recording. Numbers that don't match anyone yet come in as new, uncategorized contacts so you can sort them later. Your address book comes in too, so numbers show up with a name attached even before you've messaged.

How to use it

Setup takes about five minutes and happens entirely on your Mac.

  1. Download the desktop app for macOS.
  2. Double-click the downloaded file, then drag the "Relatable for Mac" icon into your Applications folder.
  3. Open Relatable for Mac from Applications. macOS may warn that it can't verify the app — that's expected, given the access it needs to your messages. Click the Apple icon in your menu bar, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway. You should only need to do this once.
  4. You'll see two things to finish. First, turn on Full Disk Access: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, find Relatable for Mac, and switch it on. The app will ask you to quit and restart — once you do, you'll see a message telling you it's retrieving your latest messages and calls.
  5. Second, connect your Relatable account: go to Account settings → Accounts → Manage API Keys, click Add New Key, and give it a name like "Relatable for Mac" so you recognize it later. Copy the key. It works like a password for your account, so don't share it with anyone. Paste it into the app where it asks for your API key.
  6. Click the Relatable icon in your menu bar. Two green lights mean your messages and calls are syncing.

Good to know

  • This is a macOS-only feature, still in beta, and it needs an iPhone paired with a Mac or other Apple desktop — there's no way yet to read messages directly off a phone.
  • What's synced: your address book, the timestamp of your last message with each person or group, and the timestamp and duration of your calls. What's never synced: the content of a message, an attachment, or a call recording.
  • Full Disk Access is required because the database holding your texts and calls lives in a part of macOS that's locked down by default, and there's currently no narrower permission that grants just this.
  • Matching works by name, phone number, or email. One interaction gets created per contact, and its timestamp keeps updating rather than logging every single call or text.
  • People Relatable can't match land as suggestions in your uncategorized contacts, hidden by default. Open the filter icon on that table and turn on Phone Book and Unknown to see them.
  • Your address book syncs the same way: it fills in blanks on contacts Relatable can already match, and anyone new comes in as an uncategorized suggestion, the same as importing contacts from a Google or Outlook address book.
  • The app syncs in the background every few minutes as long as it's open and your Mac is online. Click the menu bar icon to see the last time it synced.
  • Missing calls or texts? Confirm the app is running with both lights green, then check the Uncategorized table with Phone Book and Unknown turned on. Support can help troubleshoot, but for your privacy, they can't see what's on your phone or computer.

Ask Whiz

  • "What's the last thing Joey and I texted about?"

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