Hermes Agent can now connect to iMessage through Photon Spectrum. Choose Photon as the channel, complete setup, and your Hermes agent can send and receive iMessages without running on a Mac.
About Photon
Photon is a unified API that brings agents to interfaces like iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and more. It is free to start, and it scales as your agent grows.
Why iMessage has been hard for agents
Most Hermes users already run their agents inside messaging platforms like Telegram or Discord. These channels are easy to connect, easy to host, and designed with bots in mind.
For a personal agent, however, iMessage is the most natural place to interact. It is already built into the iPhone, where personal conversations happen every day. It works seamlessly on the go and does not require users to join another server, install another app, or learn a new interface.
Hermes already supports iMessage through BlueBubbles, an open-source project that bridges iMessage from a Mac. While it works well, the setup comes with real constraints. You need a Mac, the Mac must stay online and awake, and your agent typically needs to run on macOS or maintain a connection to that machine. Messages are also sent through your personal iMessage account, which can blur the line between personal conversations and agent interactions.
That setup is acceptable for local experimentation, but it is less ideal for an agent you want to keep online continuously. If your Mac sleeps, restarts, loses network connectivity, or requires maintenance, the iMessage channel can go down with it.
Photon removes that dependency. Hermes can run anywhere - macOS, Linux, Windows, or the cloud, while Photon provides a dedicated connection to the iMessage channel. This separates agent infrastructure from personal devices, making deployments more reliable, portable, and easier to maintain.
How Photon brings Hermes to iMessage on any OS
Photon is now a first-class iMessage channel for Hermes Agent. During setup, simply select iMessage via Photon, connect your agent to a Photon-managed iMessage line, and start the Hermes gateway with Photon as the messaging platform.
Without Photon | With Photon |
|---|---|
Run the agent on macOS | Run the agent on macOS, Linux, Windows, or in the cloud |
Keep a Mac awake and connected | Use Photon as the iMessage channel |
Send from your own iMessage number | Use a Photon-provided line for the agent |
Manage bridge reliability yourself | Connect through a persistent Hermes channel |
Handle media support separately | Support text, typing indicators, images, and native iMessage voice notes |
The first time you set up Photon, you'll create an account on the Photon dashboard at app.photon.codes. The Hermes Agent gateway will then automatically authenticate with your Photon account and provision a managed iMessage line linked to your phone number. That line is private to you - only messages from your number to this number are forwarded to your agent, and only you can interact with it.
Once setup is complete, you can start chatting with your Hermes Agent by texting the number Photon assigns to you. Because Photon handles the iMessage connection, your agent can run anywhere: macOS, Linux, Windows, a home server, or a cloud deployment.
Under the hood: The Photon channel holds a single persistent spectrum-ts gRPC stream between Photon's cloud (which owns the iMessage line) and a small Node sidecar next to your Hermes gateway — no public URL, no webhook, no Mac relay. Inbound messages stream in over that connection and outbound replies go back out the same way, which is why your agent can run headless on any OS.
This architecture differs significantly from BlueBubbles. With BlueBubbles, your iMessage connection depends on a personal Mac that must remain online and properly configured, often requiring system-level modifications such as disabling SIP. Photon eliminates that dependency entirely. Your agent no longer needs to be tied to a specific Mac and can run reliably on any operating system or hosting environment while still being accessible through iMessage.
Native iMessage behavior
With Photon, Hermes Agent can support more native iMessage behavior, with RCS and SMS fallback when needed.
Typing indicators let you see when the agent is working on a response.
Images allow the agent to receive visual context and send image-based responses.
Native iMessage voice notes keep voice interactions inside the same conversation.
Two-way attachments enable richer workflows beyond plain text.
Free forever
Photon is built around a simple belief: agents should live in the interfaces where people already are.
We believe making that future a reality requires collaboration across the entire developer ecosystem. That's why Photon is free for personal use and for independent developers building small-scale agent experiences.
For Hermes Agent users, Photon is free forever for personal use. Anyone can create a Photon account, connect their agent, and start using iMessage as a native interface without managing their own messaging infrastructure.
We're also actively partnering with agent builders, founders, and developers who share this vision. Our goal is to make messaging channels more accessible, reliable, and developer-friendly so that the next generation of AI agents can meet people where they already are.
Try it
Getting started with Photon in Hermes Agent takes just a few minutes.
Run:
Then select iMessage via Photon. Hermes will automatically guide you through authentication, account linking, and iMessage line provisioning.
Once setup is complete, simply text the iMessage number assigned to your agent. Send a message, share an image, or record a voice note—the conversation works just like any other iMessage chat.
Your Hermes Agent runs wherever you want it to run. Photon brings it to iMessage.
Get started
Spectrum is open source at photon.codes.
bun add spectrum-ts
Docs: docs.photon.codes
Discord: discord.com/invite/4yXmmFPadR
