A new texting app claims to bring Apple’s iMessage system to an Android phone, but you’ll want to pay close attention to how it works, as it’s certainly not sanctioned by the iPhone-maker.
Nothing Chats, which UK-based phone-maker Nothing announced Tuesday, will launch in beta on Nov. 17 as an alternative to the Google Messages app that currently ships with its Nothing Phone 2. Nothing Chats uses Sunbird — a cross-platform texting service currently in its own beta period — to offer support for Apple’s iMessage service, which in theory will allow users of Nothing’s flagship phone the ability to text iPhone users as if they’re on an iPhone themselves, appearing as a blue bubble. Nothing Chats will also support texting over RCS to other Android phones, along with SMS and MMS.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Even though there are many cross-platform text services that work across the iPhone and Android devices like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, many people prefer to use the standard texting app as their primary method to text friends and family. Apple’s iMessage service, which is built into the iPhone’s Messages app, has a particular cultural dominance in the US for providing features that can only be sent between iPhone users, like enhanced media sharing, security and games. While rival services often match these features — Signal, for instance, just announced “spoiler” text formatting that functions like Apple’s Invisible Ink — the convenience of having these features built into iOS is often a draw that keeps iPhone customers from considering Android phones.
To set up iMessage inside of Nothing Chats, you’ll first need the $599 (£579, AU$1,049) Nothing Phone 2. A Nothing representative confirmed that the app won’t currently work on the original Nothing Phone 1, nor any other Android phone at launch. The app will be available to download from the Google Play Store, and will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK and other…
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