Set up BoothLink

Before you start

You need a Mac for your store, its Apple Account, and a phone number enabled in Messages. Windows and Linux cannot replace that Mac. Other staff use the CRM; they do not need BoothLink installed on every computer.

• Mac administrator access to install the app and approve its permissions.
• Access to the correct workstation and Integrations in US Booths.
• For SMS: an iPhone with the store’s active line, powered on and connected, with forwarding to the Mac enabled.

The installer includes Intel and Apple Silicon and declares macOS 12 or later. Physical checks for this guide used Apple Silicon with macOS 26; they do not certify every hardware and OS combination.

Prepare Apple Messages

1. Open Messages on the Mac and sign in with the store’s Apple Account.
2. Open Messages → Settings → iMessage. Make sure the store’s number is enabled for incoming messages and selected under Start new conversations from.
3. Use the same Apple Account on the iPhone. For SMS, check Settings → Apps → Messages → Text Message Forwarding and enable the Mac. On older iOS versions, Messages is directly under Settings. If you use Messages in iCloud, Apple may manage forwarding automatically.
4. Send and receive a test message in Messages on the Mac first. If it fails there, fix the account or line before setting up BoothLink.

Official instructions: Set up Messages on Mac · Forward messages from iPhone. Control names vary by language and OS version.

Install and allow access

Download BoothLink for Mac

1. Download the installer on the Mac that will stay at your store. Open the .dmg file.
2. Drag BoothLink.app into Applications. Open the installed copy from Applications, not the installer.
3. Click Set up this Mac. If macOS asks whether BoothLink can control Messages, click Allow.

Allow both permissions

After granting Full Disk Access, quit BoothLink and reopen it. You can also click Already allowed? Restart BoothLink. Closing the window with the red button does not restart the app.

Wait for the store’s line to be detected. If you see Not detected yet, check the number in Messages and let it finish syncing. Do not enter a made-up number or a customer’s number.

BoothLink does not require disabling SIP or other macOS protections. Enter your Apple Account password only in Apple’s own screens.

Link your store

In the browser on your store’s Mac

1. Open US Booths and select your store’s workstation. Check the name before continuing.
2. Go to Integrations → BoothLink → Settings. You may also reach it through Settings → Integrations, depending on your account’s menu.
3. Click Link this Mac. Allow the browser to open the installed app, then confirm Link this Mac inside BoothLink.
4. Wait for Connected to your CRM on the Mac and Connected in the CRM, with the correct phone number. Initial connection can take a few minutes. Refresh Integrations to check again.

If you are setting up from another computer, copy the link and paste it into Paste a link instead in BoothLink on the store’s Mac. That link is private: never publish it or include it in a support screenshot.

Calls still use Twilio. To send messages with Twilio instead, change Messaging provider in Phone System and verify the refreshed From number.

Replace or disconnect the Mac

Link a different Mac replaces the previous link; do not use it just to refresh status. Disconnect BoothLink stops new synchronization and keeps messages already in the CRM. One Mac links to one store at a time.

Send and receive

First test with a phone you control

1. Open Communications and the conversation, or open a contact and its messaging panel. Verify the recipient number, including the country code.
2. Select the SMS tab. This tab also sends BoothLink text messages when the actual transport is iMessage. Do not select Email.
3. Under From / Send from number, select the store’s linked line. Check To and write a short message without attachments.
4. Click Send message once. Verify receipt on the other phone and confirm the sender is the expected number.
5. Reply from that phone. Check that the reply appears in the same CRM conversation. Reload the page and confirm both messages remain.

How iMessage or SMS is selected

BoothLink checks valid Messages history. It uses iMessage when that is the recipient’s latest proven channel. An unknown phone number uses SMS when available on the Mac; owning an iPhone alone is not enough. To test iMessage, first establish a working blue-bubble conversation in Messages on the Mac.

If iMessage fails, it is not automatically resent as SMS. Check the thread and test phone before repeating a send with an uncertain result.

What each status means

Reading a thread in the CRM does not automatically mark the conversation as read in Messages on the Mac. Synced since opened counts synchronization since BoothLink opened; it does not prove customers read your messages.

Keep it available

• Mac powered on and online. Keep the macOS user signed in. Locking the screen is different from signing out.
• BoothLink running. Closing its window leaves it in the menu bar. Quit BoothLink stops it.
• MacBook plugged into power, lid open. Do not rely on closed-lid operation for your store.
• Avoid automatic sleep. On a MacBook, check System Settings → Battery → Options → Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off. On a desktop Mac, check Energy. Keep password-protected screen locking enabled.
• For SMS, keep the iPhone available too. Its line and required network connection must remain active for forwarding.

While running, BoothLink requests protection against idle sleep and asks to open at login. It cannot prevent you from powering off, closing the lid, or signing out. After restarting, sign in and verify Connected and the line again.

If the Mac loses its connection, the CRM cannot send through it. When it returns, BoothLink attempts to reconnect and synchronize pending new messages. The first link starts from that point; it does not import the entire old history.

See Apple’s sleep settings for your Mac model and OS version.

Troubleshooting

Features and limits

This guide describes the stated version, not promised future features. Controls and compatibility may change with macOS, Messages, or US Booths updates.

Attachments and pending messages

Send an attachment

1. Select the correct store and open the recipient’s conversation.
2. Confirm that the From number belongs to your linked Mac.
3. Choose Attach file, select your files, and add an optional caption. The Gallery remains a photo picker.
4. Review the recipient and files, then send. The caption and each attachment are separate parts.
5. Watch Pending messages. A queued batch is saved by the CRM; it has not necessarily reached the Mac.
6. Verify receipt on the recipient’s device before relying on the new setup.

BoothLink accepts up to 10 files, each at most 5 MB: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, HEIF, MP4, MOV, PDF, M4A, MP3, WAV, AAC and VCF. Acceptance by the CRM does not guarantee Apple or a carrier can deliver a particular format. Twilio keeps its separate 5 MB total MMS limit.

Understand the status

Schedule a message

With the BoothLink sending number selected, write your message and choose a date and time in Send later (optional), then select Schedule. The time zone shown is your browser’s time zone. You can schedule up to 30 days ahead. Keep the linked Mac powered on, logged in, online and running BoothLink when the message is due.

The conversation shows the scheduled time and Stop pending parts. The schedule survives a page reload. Cancel before sending starts to stop the pending message. A part already accepted by the Mac may still arrive. If you switch providers while composing, remove the scheduled time explicitly before sending immediately with Twilio.

Automatic processing permits up to five attempts per part and stops after 24 hours from the scheduled sending time (or creation for immediate messages). After an unconfirmed attempt, a part may still have arrived. Check Messages on the linked Mac before sending a new copy.

Stop or change provider

Use Stop pending parts to cancel what remains. A part already accepted by the Mac may still arrive. To switch, open Settings → Phone System → Messaging provider → Twilio, then verify the conversation’s From number. Switching to Twilio stops pending BoothLink parts immediately, including scheduled messages. Switching back does not restart them, and they are not automatically resent through Twilio. Conversation history stays available and calls continue using Twilio.

Reactions, native stickers, groups, typing indicators, editing, unsending and marking a conversation read on the Mac remain unimplemented in this version. Keep SIP enabled on your main Mac; do not change system security just to complete this guide.

Read and search previous Mac messages

Compatibility: this feature requires BoothLink 0.1.6 and the matching CRM update. Keep the linked Mac online and allow access to Messages.

1. Open the correct store and contact, then select Previous messages on the Mac.
2. Read the original date and status. Only one-to-one messages for that contact and the linked store line are requested. Messages already in the CRM conversation are omitted.
3. To filter text, enter a phrase in Search Mac history, choose Apply search, and reopen the history.
4. Select Load older messages to check additional pages. An empty page does not mean the entire history has no matches.
5. Choose Download beside a historical file. The file must still exist in Messages on the linked Mac and be no larger than 5 MB.

Download links expire after 15 minutes. Use Refresh Mac history to renew them; this returns to the newest page. If the Mac is disconnected or was replaced, reconnect it and refresh. A failed download is not sent through Twilio.

This view does not import old messages into the CRM or trigger automatic replies. Switching to Twilio does not delete the Mac history, but the Mac must remain linked and available to read it.

Verify your setup

Before using the line with customers, the person responsible for the store should complete these checks. The boxes are a local checklist; they do not change CRM configuration.