You can reach Buddy through iMessage, email, and the VXBE desktop app for Windows. The useful things he learns about you belong to your relationship with him, rather than a particular device. The controls and attachments available in each place can differ.
iMessage
Open Finish setup, choose iMessage, and enter the US phone number you'll use. Setup currently supports US numbers and supplies +1 for you. Select Get a code, then text the code to the Buddy number shown. Send it from the phone you entered before the code expires.
A number appearing on the setup page means setup has started. Buddy's confirmation in Messages is how you know the connection finished. If his reply comes from a different number, continue in that conversation: it's still him.
If your code has expired, get a new one from setup. You don't need to install or leave the VXBE desktop app running to text Buddy.
Your account has its own Buddy email address, shown in setup when email is available. Use Write to Buddy, or copy that address into your usual email app. Send from the email address on your VXBE account so the message can be matched to you.
Reply to Buddy's email to continue the conversation. If you can't find a reply, check spam and save his address as a contact. Opening an email draft doesn't send it; finish sending in your email app.
The VXBE desktop app
The VXBE desktop app for Windows gives you a place for conversations, activity, saved work, and settings. Sign in with the same account you use for Buddy.
The VXBE desktop app is one way to reach him. You can use iMessage or email without installing it or leaving your computer on. Work that needs a sign-in, an answer, or another step from you will still need that participation.
Keep the right conversation together
Prefer speaking? Voice and recordings explains dictation, audio attachments, and recorded replies.
Useful relationship context can carry across conversations, but that isn't a promise that every message or attachment appears identically everywhere. Reply in the relevant conversation when you want to continue a particular piece of work. Give Buddy a little context if you're picking it up somewhere else.
Use /rename to give a conversation a name you'll recognize, and /resume to find it again. In iMessage and email, resuming changes which conversation your next messages go to. In the VXBE desktop app, open the matching conversation from the list. See all slash commands.