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You've heard it here first, iMessage is going cross platform

Cobold said:
Correct. Here in Germany, I have many contacts with iPhones (you can see the FaceTime option in contacts) but no one, I communicate with on a regular basis is using iMessage. WhatsApp is #1 by far (not that I like it, but that’s what it is).

For my closest family contacts like my 70+ year old parents or my aunt, Telegram is #1 as they mainly use iPads and Android Tablets and there is no WhatsApp-App for tablets. My aunt does not even own a smartphone but uses Telegram for messaging and sharing photos with her friends and family a lot on her Lenovo Tab. 🙄

iMessage is really not a thing in Europe.
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I am glad that the "WhatsApp" infatuation has not taken over here in the US of A. No way I would use said app.
 
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tomtad said:
A prediction but I don't see many people talking about this. Given the focus on messages at this years WWDC (in the invites, Twitter hashflags, rumours etc) it seems iMessage is going to be getting a significant upgrade and the obvious next step is to make it cross platform with an Android app and maybe even a browser version. Everyone will be getting blue bubbles from this September.

With Apple's ongoing privacy campaign and the backlash against new terms in WhatsApp now seems the perfect time to announce a messaging service with privacy at its heart. It’ll also give iMessage a new lease of life with many now drifting to cross platform messaging services.

We'll know in just over 24 hours but I will be stunned if this is not announced.
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This will not happen. I am not saying it will never happen, but as long as Apple is successful and sales are great, they will never bring iMessage to Android. Forget it.
 
I would like this to happen but we already saw the logic behind not bringing it to Android in the Epic Games trial.

At this point it's not gonna happen unless there's some monetization to it like the rest of Apple's Android apps.
 
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Mr Todhunter said:
Kids eh? I would like to inform you that in Greece practically EVERYBODY is using Viber. I could bet money that at least 95% are using it. I have 7 friends there with iPhones and they use Viber when they contact me. They could use iMessage with me but are used to Viber because all their other contacts use it.
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No they don't. FB Messenger is what they all use.
 
Why would they make it cross platform? It's one of the signature feature of the Apple ecosystem and one of the marketing points that Apple loves to brag about, because iCloud and iMessage is so secure and private (at least Apple likes to say that). I'm pretty sure that not many people on Android would use it when they already have other messaging apps. I do prefer iMessage but I also use Signal because it's even better in terms of security and privacy.

Maybe iMessage has some significance in America, but here in Europe people don't view it as some holy grail of messaging and we're not mad if we're texting with someone that replies with green bubbles. That's really shallow.
 
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tomtad said:
A prediction but I don't see many people talking about this. Given the focus on messages at this years WWDC (in the invites, Twitter hashflags, rumours etc) it seems iMessage is going to be getting a significant upgrade and the obvious next step is to make it cross platform with an Android app and maybe even a browser version. Everyone will be getting blue bubbles from this September.

With Apple's ongoing privacy campaign and the backlash against new terms in WhatsApp now seems the perfect time to announce a messaging service with privacy at its heart. It’ll also give iMessage a new lease of life with many now drifting to cross platform messaging services.

We'll know in just over 24 hours but I will be stunned if this is not announced.
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They already thought about it and decided against it: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/27/22406303/imessage-android-eddy-cue-emails-apple-epic-deposition

Cue: We really need to bring iMessage to Android. I have had a couple of people investigating this but we should go full speed and make this an official project.... Do we want to lose one of the most important apps in a mobile environment to Google? They have search, mail, free video, and growing quickly in browsers. We have the best messaging app and we should make it the industry standard. I don’t know what ways we can monetize it but it doesn’t cost us a lot to run.

Federighi: Do you have any thoughts on how we would make switching to iMessage (from WhatsApp) compelling to masses of Android users who don’t have a bunch of iOS friends? iMessage is a nice app/service, but to get users to switch social networks we’d need more than a marginally better app. (This is why Google is willing to pay $1 billion — for the network, not for the app.)...In the absence of a strategy to become the primary messaging service for [the] bulk of cell phone users, I am concerned [that] iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove an obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones.
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I don't see anything now that would have changed their thinking.

iMessage upgrade at WWDC: Yes.
iMessage on Android: No.
 
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tomtad said:
A prediction but I don't see many people talking about this. Given the focus on messages at this years WWDC (in the invites, Twitter hashflags, rumours etc) it seems iMessage is going to be getting a significant upgrade and the obvious next step is to make it cross platform with an Android app and maybe even a browser version. Everyone will be getting blue bubbles from this September.

With Apple's ongoing privacy campaign and the backlash against new terms in WhatsApp now seems the perfect time to announce a messaging service with privacy at its heart. It’ll also give iMessage a new lease of life with many now drifting to cross platform messaging services.

We'll know in just over 24 hours but I will be stunned if this is not announced.
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Messages is part of apples walled garden lock in, there is zero chance of it going x platform. Messages sells iOS hardware, which is apples golden goose. Tim isn’t going to kill it by allowing messages on Android.
 
dogslobber said:
Prepare to be stunned then. iMessages is a tool which prevents people from leaving for Android platforms. If iMessages was on Android then suddenly the lucrative iPhone isn't so much. Even making iMessages available via iCloud would allow Windows users and Android users to no longer need to buy a Mac/Android phone.
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To think that iMessage alone makes for the iPhone being so much more secure/usable/ etc. than an Android phone.....well, I really don't know where to start. Whatever.....must be a very specific 'use-purpose' thingy...
 
Blowback said:
To think that iMessage alone makes for the iPhone being so much more secure/usable/ etc. than an Android phone.....well, I really don't know where to start. Whatever.....must be a very specific 'use-purpose' thingy...
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I think a lot more keeps people (as a whole) in the phone orchard than iMessage.
 
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dogslobber said:
Prepare to be stunned then. iMessages is a tool which prevents people from leaving for Android platforms. If iMessages was on Android then suddenly the lucrative iPhone isn't so much. Even making iMessages available via iCloud would allow Windows users and Android users to no longer need to buy a Mac/Android phone.
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Blowback said:
To think that iMessage alone makes for the iPhone being so much more secure/usable/ etc. than an Android phone.....well, I really don't know where to start. Whatever.....must be a very specific 'use-purpose' thingy...
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"iMessages is a (emphasis mine) a tool which prevents people from leaving for Android platforms..."

A tool, not the (only) tool, to the exclusion of every other benefit. I don't know that anyone is saying iMessage alone is the thing.

Still, I agree with dogslobber. In the US, iMessage is powerful. Anecdotal, sure, but I have encountered so many group threads and other examples inside my friend group and otherwise—like hearing stories of messaging with someone from a dating app only to find that their bubble is green—where not using iMessage leads to people getting grief.

I'm not saying that's right and not silly...I'm just saying it is a thing, at least in the US.
 
TimFL1 said:
What security? People seem to think iMessage is some holy grail of E2EE / security but it‘s really not.

It‘s simple public / private keypair asymmetric encryption and if you turn on Messages in iCloud, it equals no encryption cause your private keys are backed up to iCloud where Apple can theoretically grab them from to give law enforcement your whole messaging history. Combine that with the fact that Apple literally stores metadata about who you contact at what time, including the messaging intend (e.g. compose a new message -> it pings for iMessage support for individual contacts you enter) it‘s pretty much like WhatsApp… minus the monetize user data and/or linking them to an ad profile for non-GDPR users.

That being said, iMessage for Android is too little too late. A less immature reaction (iMessage on Android would be a kneejerk reaction that profits no one cause people wont hop on the iMessage train, at least outside of the US) to the Epic trial / WhatsApp dilemma would be adding support for RCS so Apple-to-Android SMS/MMS nightmare communication gets phased out sooner rather than later. That‘d be a „security“ upgrade cause anyone voluntarily using SMS/MMS nowadays has lost the grip on their life in terms of privacy and secure communication… not to mention the archaic feature set.

Also: Apple has Play Store apps… like Music.
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Can you cite your source?

iMessage in iCloud is still E2E encrypted. You need to turn on iCloud backup to get the keys sent to Apple. Unless Apple is lying…

Messages in iCloud also uses end-to-end encryption. If you have iCloud Backup turned on, your backup includes a copy of the key protecting your Messages. This ensures you can recover your Messages if you lose access to iCloud Keychain and your trusted devices. When you turn off iCloud Backup, a new key is generated on your device to protect future messages and isn't stored by Apple.
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iCloud data security overview - Apple Support

iCloud uses strong security methods, employs strict policies to protect your information, and leads the industry in using privacy-preserving security technologies like end-to-end encryption for your data.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Also public/private key asymmetric encryption isn’t “simple”. It is the same underlying encryption methodology that underlies the security of the web...
 
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omg if it's real I can't wait to see that... thing's (Mark Zuckerberg) malding face. It will DESTROY whatsapp if true. 😳
 
TimFL1 said:
What security? People seem to think iMessage is some holy grail of E2EE / security but it‘s really not.

It‘s simple public / private keypair asymmetric encryption and if you turn on Messages in iCloud, it equals no encryption cause your private keys are backed up to iCloud where Apple can theoretically grab them from to give law enforcement your whole messaging history. Combine that with the fact that Apple literally stores metadata about who you contact at what time, including the messaging intend (e.g. compose a new message -> it pings for iMessage support for individual contacts you enter) it‘s pretty much like WhatsApp… minus the monetize user data and/or linking them to an ad profile for non-GDPR users.

That being said, iMessage for Android is too little too late. A less immature reaction (iMessage on Android would be a kneejerk reaction that profits no one cause people wont hop on the iMessage train, at least outside of the US) to the Epic trial / WhatsApp dilemma would be adding support for RCS so Apple-to-Android SMS/MMS nightmare communication gets phased out sooner rather than later. That‘d be a „security“ upgrade cause anyone voluntarily using SMS/MMS nowadays has lost the grip on their life in terms of privacy and secure communication… not to mention the archaic feature set.

Also: Apple has Play Store apps… like Music.
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The private key is stored in hardware on the Secure Enclave of the Axx SoC (every iDevice has a unique one). Are you saying:

a. Apple is going to license the Secure Enclave to Qualcomm?
b. Apple is going to embed the private key in software in Android app where anyone can decompile/ access?
c. iMessages sent to non-Apple devices will be plain text/not encrypted?
 
Honestly, at this point, WhatsApp is so mainstream in Asia that I am not sure I would be able to convince people to switch to iMessage even it were available on android. I tried with telegram last year and failed spectacularly.
 
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minimo3 said:
The private key is stored in hardware on the Secure Enclave of the Axx SoC (every iDevice has a unique one). Are you saying:

a. Apple is going to license the Secure Enclave to Qualcomm?
b. Apple is going to embed the private key in software in Android app where anyone can decompile/ access?
c. iMessages sent to non-Apple devices will be plain text/not encrypted?
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The security is what I most expect to prevent this.

Apple has gone to great lengths to ensure security of their platform. Including the Secure Enclave as you mentioned. Even on their Intel macs they don’t trust the Intel Silicon so they use only their own developed chips to store this secure information. To ensure they have proper security chain of trust. They have no secure chain on Android so I’d imagine it to prevent this.
 
WhatsApp is so dominant I’m not sure it’s worth going after.
However, it wouldn’t be the first market leader that Apple is playing catch-up with.

From GoogleMaps, to Spotify and Netflix. However, all of these benefit Apple users and their experience.

Apple is really just interested in attracting more users to their platform, not enhancing other ones.
 
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