Developer guide

iMessage API without running your own Mac

A hosted messaging API can remove the Mac you maintain yourself, but introduces a provider dependency. Compare number control, channel behavior, inbound events, costs and migration limits before switching.

Compare responsibilities, not just bubble color

A local bridge depends on hardware, sign-in state, networking and your own monitoring. A hosted service shifts those operations to a provider. It does not eliminate dependencies or make ordinary iMessage equivalent to Apple Messages for Business.

Compare supported lines, countries, sender identity, porting, capability checks, fallback, signed inbound events and support terms. Require actual service evidence before assuming a uptime percentage.

Current Comms capabilities

Build a fresh test integration

Use a new test workspace before switching production. Run the Node.js example, register an HTTPS webhook and compare delivery and inbound fields with your old integration. Use stable idempotency keys and capture explicit failure states.

const response = await fetch("https://osis.co/api/v1/comms/messages", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.COMMS_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Idempotency-Key": "appointment-4242-confirm"
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    to: process.env.COMMS_TEST_TO,
    body: "Your appointment is confirmed.",
    channel: "auto"
  })
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Comms returned ${response.status}`);
const result = await response.json();
console.log(result.message.id); // acceptance is not delivery

Plan a staged cutover and rollback

Porting requires approval and a supported number. Confirm port-in, port-out, geographic availability, fees, and timing before planning a migration. You can cancel replacement setup before submitting the transfer; a submitted transfer cannot be canceled from the setup panel.

Do not assume you can move a personal Apple ID, chat history or existing number into a hosted platform. Confirm those capabilities first. Map old and new conversation identifiers, pause overlapping senders, test replies on each line, then move a small consenting cohort.

Keep a rollback plan for routing and credentials. Do not send the same message from two providers to compensate for uncertain delivery. Reconcile the first attempt before retrying.

Use your own operating-cost worksheet

Compare monthly hardware and network costs, actual maintenance hours at your engineering rate, monitoring, support, provider fees, number rental and fallback charges. Use measured incident time rather than an invented outage estimate.

Comms public Dedicated pricing is $200/month with $0 setup. Confirm eligibility, support, capacity and migration terms before treating this as the complete cost of a production deployment.