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I don't want iMessage on my MacBook anymore, at all. I've signed out of all accounts on my MacBook but when I start a text on my phone, this creepy icon appears, so it still knows I'm texting. dock

I've read various related questions here, here, here and here but they're not quite getting at the same thing.

Does anyone know how to prevent this? I'm running Big Sur and hadn't noticed this previously, but I tend to leave a while before updates (precisely because there's always something annoying like this).

jaume
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dmt
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    Is the option "Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices" checked in System Preferences > General? If it is, uncheck it. Could you then test and report back? If that solves your issue, I'd be glad to add an answer. – jaume May 07 '21 at 10:02
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    Yes, it worked! Been trying to figure this out for ages, thanks. Do add as answer. – dmt May 08 '21 at 12:31
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    I'm glad it worked, I've added an answer, thanks! – jaume May 08 '21 at 13:12
  • Well by the way that you worded your question, "creepy icon", "Know im texting" it sounds as if you think your Mac is invading your privacy by knowing that you are texting. let me tell you this, anything apple with always respect your privacy, no matter what. – Skyline X May 08 '21 at 17:14

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When an app appears in the Dock with a badge that looks like a stylized iPhone:

enter image description here

macOS is making you aware that you started something on another device (a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch) and you could pick it up on your Mac. This functionality is called Handoff.

To turn it off:

  1. Launch System Preferences and click General

  2. At the bottom of the pane, deselect “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices”:

    enter image description here

More information about Handoff

Handoff is one of a set of integration features called Continuity (other Continuity features include Universal Clipboard and Sidecar).

Apple recently added an article about Handoff to the Mac App Store app:

enter image description here

jaume
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