14 DAY TRIAL // Despite supporting Bluetooth 4.0, some old Macs that aren’t eligible to run Yosemite can still use Continuity features without requiring OS X 10.10. A dedicated tool has been made available to enable things like Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and SMS forwarding on Macs that weren’t originally intended to use these features.
Some users are obviously not happy with Apple’s decision to keep some Macs out of the loop, but it should be noted that the reasons could be both political and technical.
The Continuity Activation Tool
Available as a free download to anyone looking to enable Continuity features on their non-Yosemite Mac, the Continuity Activation Tool reportedly enables all older Macs to perform actions like Handoff, Instant Hotspot, SMS forwarding, and phone calls.
“This tool makes the necessary changes to enable OS X 10.10 Continuity on compatible hardware. Continuity features activated by this tool include Application Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and Airdrop iOS<->OSX,” according to the developers.
Your mileage may vary, as the tool was not designed by Apple, but by code-savvy third-parties. Supported computers include MacBook Air 2008-2010 models, MacBook Air mid-2011, Mac mini 2009-2011 models, Mac mini mid-2011, MacBook pro mid-2009 to late 2011, iMac 2008-2011, and MacBook Pro late-2011.
The exact configuration requirements are listed on Github, with the creators noting that “Your Mac might need a hardware upgrade in addition to the software patch to be able to work with Continuity.”
How to use it, precautions
Users simply download the ZIP file supplied on the Github page, unzip, run the app bundled inside (with admin privileges), follow the instructions on screen, and ignore or deny any “Access to accessibility features.”
The developers warn that, “Users should exercise caution when using the Continuity Activation Tool, as it moves around low level files and there's a possibility it could cause problems. A backup is recommended before attempting to install the tool.” The script can be run right from the command line as well.
“When using the script from the command line, make sure you have the strings binary in the same directory as the script OR, if you have Apple's Command Line Tools installed, edit contitool.sh and set stringsPath=’strings’,” the developers add.
Users should also note that Continuity may or may not be supported on older Macs, as described by the creators of Continuity Activation Tool, but there’s another requirement which is a must-have: an iDevice with iOS 8 on it.