Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android

[mkldev]

Apple knows if they released iMessage for Android they'd lose customers. Simple as that really. There's much more cons than pros for Apple to let Android users use iMessage.

I disagree. First, people don't buy an iPhone for iMessage. They buy it because it is a well-designed package that integrates well with their Macs.

Second, nearly everybody I know uses other messaging apps (Facebook, mainly, but also various others) instead of carrier-provided text messages, sometimes because of $$$, but usually because of integration with their daily workflow. MMS and SMS are basically moribund at this point, which means iMessage is really only a selling point if all your friends use iOS (which would be unusual). Otherwise, you'll likely be talking to most of your friends in FB anyway, so why not just talk to all of them there?

IMO, Apple seriously blew it with FaceTime and iMessage. They were miles ahead of everybody when they introduced those products, and they had the opportunity for their technology to take over the world and to make the product better on iOS, but available everywhere. Instead, they got greedy and tried to keep it entirely for themselves. And because all that end-to-end crypto has no value if 60% of your recipients will get their message via an SMS anyway, the rest of the world moved on without them and came up with third-party cross-platform products that filled the niche and are usually considerably better on Android. Now, almost nobody I know uses either iMessage or FaceTime on a regular basis.

Apple's chance to use these products as a competitive advantage has long since come and gone. At this point, the only thing left for Apple to do is to make it possible for third-party apps to write custom Messages plug-ins in iOS and hope that they can at least convince all the third-party messaging services to make their services available through a nice, unified interface so that you can see your messages all in one place. Otherwise, that whole "Facebook can send/receive SMS and MMS" thing is going to eliminate the very last plausible reason to use Apple's messaging apps at all.

 

[M2M]

If the statment is correct that the 1billion userbase (of iMessage) is enough for Apple to train its AI, that means iMessage doesn't do end-to-end encryption (otherwise how to train the AI?).

Would be quite concerning for privacy.

 

[mkldev]

I don't see how an Android version could work without compromising the bulletproof end-to-end encryption that Apple touts for iMessage. Apple can't control what happens on Android phones at the OS level.

That's no more or less true on Android than on iOS. People jailbreak iOS devices, too. Besides, they could easily require the devices to be up-to-date with security fixes, and refuse to deliver messages to out-of-date devices. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be pretty good.

For that matter, right now, if I send a message from iOS using Messages to an Android user, it goes out over SMS, which is massively insecure. Compared with that, just about anything would be more trustworthy. If FB adds end-to-end encryption later this year as rumored and Apple still has nothing to offer on Android... you get the picture.

End-to-end encryption has to be applied at the END of the communication chain, hence the name. And at the end of the chain there's always the app not an OS. If the app encrypts properly, there nothing that any OS could do to harm the encryption.

Not really true. An endpoint is either trusted or it isn't. If it isn't, then none of the software running on that endpoint is trusted, either. For example, if somebody adds a touch logger and knows that your chat app is running, they can intercept the touches, pass them on to your app, and basically record one side of the conversation. They can take screen captures and record the other side.

 

[CarlJ]

It's probably better this way anyway. How would we judge Android users if not for the green bubbles?

Green bubble meaning: "Android user - please speak slowly."

 

[Ploki]

How does Apple monetize iMessage except by using it to help sell their own hardware?

They can't. End of the need to theorize.

License?

 

[lowendlinux]

And then nobody will use it. Why do you think chat apps like slack, telegram, whatsapp, line and wechat are free? They need to build up that critical user base. Monetisation comes afterwards.

Who in their right mind is going to pay for iMessage for android when whatsapp is free?

Whatsapp wasn't free in the beginning then it became free kinda like tapatalk.

======

Even if it was ported I don't think I'd use it anyway there's no real benefit to it Apple can keep iMessage exclusive

 

[Winni]

If it isn't cross-platform it is by definition inferior.

Exactly. Almost everybody I work with or have private "messages" with uses Android, the iPhone users are a minority. Enjoy your little island, folks.

 

[Substance90]

I can't use iMessage at all because most of my friends rely on WhatsApp

You can, it'll just send them an SMS.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

No they wouldn't. iOS has more customer loyalty than Android does. This is a fact.

Precisely because of this loyalty is the reason they do not want to port any parts of it over to Android. You sort of made a case against yourself by this line of reasoning.

 

[Quu]

Personally I don't want to use whatsapp. But my friends who use Android will only use that app for messaging. I prefer iMessage.

I really wish they would port it to Android if only so we could all get on the same messaging platform. About 75% of my friends use iPhones and iMessage but those other 25% don't and it creates situations where friends are left out of group chats and miss conversations.

If Apple really wants to improve the world like they keep banging on about at every WWDC they would want to expand human communication not segment it for even more profits.

 

[Even Longer]

Pride comes before a fall...

 

[the-msa]

why would i use imessage and be able to talk to approx. 5% of my contact/friend circle, when i can use hangouts and facebook messenger to cover 98%+?

sure when imessage comes to android it would certainly find its userbase, but i'd say its a bit late not since there are already so many other established multiplatform messaging apps.

 

[djalice]

I guess I'm lucky most of my friends have iPhones. The one main friend I have on Android can't even see my emojis I send to her since she upgraded so I forget anything but plain text with her.

No guarantee Android users would even download iMessage even if it was available :-(

 

[Radon87000]

It's been followed. Apple doesn't collect/use data like that.
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There are people that own teenagers?

You actually believe what Apple says?

 

[Lennholm]

I'm surprised the Apple exec even "dignified" that question with an answer. I'm not saying I can't see it happening, but as long as Apple has chosen to keep it exclusive it seems very un-Apple-like to bother giving an explanation, especially so frankly.

Perhaps Apple collects user data for their own uses... but they don't sell it to 3rd-parties for advertising purposes.

Thoughts?

Google also collects user data for their own uses, they don't sell any data to 3rd parties. The argument for Apple has been that they don't even do that.

 

[MH01]

It's mainly due to fragmentation. You see, Android devices have a lot of different screen sizes, and screen resolutions. They have different hardware specifications, and they run different operating systems.

Now, put yourselves in the shoes of the poor Apple programmer faced with this. They have to optimise iMessage emojis and animations for all of those products, to ensure the size and obnoxiousness are consistent on any device.

You are correct, they struggle to support just thier own OS versions and screen sizes....

Guess Microsoft is the only one with skills to support thousands of permutations of hardware....
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Or if you are traveling internationally, for example, and don't need to worry about phone plans in areas where you are.

Yes you do , you have to worry about the roaming charges associated to your phone plan. Not to mention an iMessages (SMS) you Recieve from a non apple device, or SMS when you do not have data connection

Techinically speaking, services like whatsapp that are data only are so much cost effective when abroad .

 

[MacBH928]

This is the most retarded excuse I have ever heard, Apple do realize that there are alternative and no one is keeping his iphone because of the imessage app?

In fact, imessage is the only app with the disadvantage of requiring your social network to own an iPhone for it to work. All others are multiplatforms. Not to mention, Audio+Video is done on another app (facetime) unlike Whatsapp where you can have audio calls and skype with video.

 

[iBug2]

Everyone I know uses Whatsapp even if they have an iPhone. I can't use iMessage other than with a few of my contacts really.

 

[PBRsg]

Many applications aren't cross platform, including AAA games.

Yes, but the primary aim of a messaging application is to communicate with others. In the US, Japan and Australia iPhones are about 50% of the market, but in most other countries in the west they are more like 15% (and much lower in developing countries).

 

[MH01]

And how does that relate to anything here?

Did you read original post? See, all companies use user data for analytical purposes, the difference is when apple says they don't collect data about you....it actually means they collect data, but it's not associated to you as an individual, very important point for markerting purposes. Some people believe that means apple does not collect user data....naive. Everytime you visit thier site, product pages etc, you are a statistic , just cause apple is not associating it to joe blow does not mean it's not collecting data.

As you have an appleid, think how much user data is collected on you just from from using the AppStore and iTunes

In this case apple is collecting all the data from our use of iMessage, we are just ids in the system, now cross reference an appleid used in iMessage to where personal info is stored, run a few SQL, boom, apple can show who you have messaged, who has messaged you , when , where ......user data, but hey they said they don't store any right...

Where we work, we don't collect user data either.....but we know everyone that has visited our sites from all around the world, and the reason we can brag that we do not collect data about you, is cause you are an ID , not associated to an actual person . Replace the analytics Id with John smith, and bam....we know everything about your behaviour on our sites, we can even predict when our users have lunchtimes....browsing behaviours etc, or as per example you replied to, when someone got pregnant.
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Everyone I know uses Whatsapp even if they have an iPhone. I can't use iMessage other than with a few of my contacts really.

Same here. Not cause it's the best, but cause it's cross platform, and was easier for everyone to jump on board.

Recently we have been using slack

 

[8692574]

And they had to explain it?? I thought it was obvious!

 

[icolove]

I disagree. First, people don't buy an iPhone for iMessage. They buy it because it is a well-designed package that integrates well with their Macs.

Second, nearly everybody I know uses other messaging apps (Facebook, mainly, but also various others) instead of carrier-provided text messages, sometimes because of $$$, but usually because of integration with their daily workflow. MMS and SMS are basically moribund at this point, which means iMessage is really only a selling point if all your friends use iOS (which would be unusual). Otherwise, you'll likely be talking to most of your friends in FB anyway, so why not just talk to all of them there?

IMO, Apple seriously blew it with FaceTime and iMessage. They were miles ahead of everybody when they introduced those products, and they had the opportunity for their technology to take over the world and to make the product better on iOS, but available everywhere. Instead, they got greedy and tried to keep it entirely for themselves. And because all that end-to-end crypto has no value if 60% of your recipients will get their message via an SMS anyway, the rest of the world moved on without them and came up with third-party cross-platform products that filled the niche and are usually considerably better on Android. Now, almost nobody I know uses either iMessage or FaceTime on a regular basis.

Apple's chance to use these products as a competitive advantage has long since come and gone. At this point, the only thing left for Apple to do is to make it possible for third-party apps to write custom Messages plug-ins in iOS and hope that they can at least convince all the third-party messaging services to make their services available through a nice, unified interface so that you can see your messages all in one place. Otherwise, that whole "Facebook can send/receive SMS and MMS" thing is going to eliminate the very last plausible reason to use Apple's messaging apps at all.

The only reason I use an iPhone is because of iMessage, as 95% of my friends are on iPhones and using Whatsapp (no one I know uses it all that much) & SMS (i travel a lot) just isn't convenient.

 

[TwoBytes]

Great! iMessage is the BEST platform in the world for messaging!
Shame there is always one in group conversations that doesn't have an iPhone so we have to default using whatsapp to include everyone.

Summary" Greatest messaging app ever, won't be used due to communicating (the point of messaging..) - Apple are missing out to penetrate the market by not opening this up

 

[icolove]

Great! iMessage is the BEST platform in the world for messaging!
Shame there is always one in group conversations that doesn't have an iPhone so we have to default using whatsapp to include everyone.

Summary" Greatest messaging app ever, won't be used due to communicating (the point of messaging..) - Apple are missing out to penetrate the market by not opening this up

Unfortunately, like all things at Apple. Everything is about money.

 

[ccalboni]

It works, this plan sells devices. I want to use iMessage and FaceTime with my Android-toting friends, but I can't. However, I have purchased or sent Apple devices to a special few. And the experience has been superior to Skype and the other chat apps.

I was about to write something about the fact that I can't understand the point of having a closed messaging platform, then I read your message and remembered that I actually moved to iPhone to Facetime my wife and see my son growing up day by day (not before trying about anything else between her iPhone and my Nexus).

Anyway, maybe with messaging is a bit different, I already use both WhatsApp and Telegram, even if iMessage will be the best platform in the world I can't see me using a third one. Let's also consider the fact that many messages nowadays are within groups and groups tend to have very different devices.