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Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android
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Can someone explain to me what's so great about iMessage? What's it USP?
To me, it's just a simple app that sends text in a bubble. Just like WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, FB Messenger and many others. There's nothing special about it, so why would anybody buy an iPhone because of iMessage?
To be clear, I don't like WhatsApp and FB Messenger as they drain my battery. But still, I have to use them because I live in the real world where 80% of people don't have an iPhone. So, iMessage is pretty limited in usability to me.
If iMessage were to be released for Android, it wouldn't change a thing: why would anybody on Android install iMessage to reach their iPhone friends? They can already to that with WhatsApp & co.
To me, it's just a simple app that sends text in a bubble. Just like WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, FB Messenger and many others. There's nothing special about it, so why would anybody buy an iPhone because of iMessage?
To be clear, I don't like WhatsApp and FB Messenger as they drain my battery. But still, I have to use them because I live in the real world where 80% of people don't have an iPhone. So, iMessage is pretty limited in usability to me.
If iMessage were to be released for Android, it wouldn't change a thing: why would anybody on Android install iMessage to reach their iPhone friends? They can already to that with WhatsApp & co.
I've no idea in what country do you live, but I can reassure you that this is not true anywhere in Europe where Whatsapp is ubiquitous.
Any messaging system that is not compatible with Android is completely useless.
Would you buy an iPhone if you could only use it to make calls to other iPhones?
Right, I thought not...
It would be too late to capture any market share now anyway, people are too well established using other services. BlackBerry tried to recover market share by opening up BBM, but by which time, it was far too late. Why did anyone want another messaging service? I already had MMS/iMessage, WhatsApp, Viber Skype, SnapChat and FaceBook Messenger! Why would I want another?
As I've mentioned before on another thread, I would love a Windows version (can't stand Mac) but someone else has suggested a Web based portal, which is actually a much better idea and would be truly cross platform
As I've mentioned before on another thread, I would love a Windows version (can't stand Mac) but someone else has suggested a Web based portal, which is actually a much better idea and would be truly cross platform
I just wish I could change the color to something other than obnoxious green. It is too hard to read sometimes.
All you need is an Apple ID and an email account and you can use any Apple device for iMessage - don't need a smartphone or phone plan.
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You and Derekuda should get together. He says 'everyone' has unlimited SMS, and you say they don't.
I used to have a no free SMS plan, and did fine. The people I msg'ed the most (wife, kids, etc.) had iPhones, so iMessage was fine. For few people (at the time) that 'other' phones, I used Google Voice. No muss, no fuss.
I say, keep iMessages in-house. I don't want to start getting spam texts from everyone.
While that's true, it's also quite a bit short-sighted.
Whatsapp has nearly zero revenue but is still worth 20 billion USD, for very good reasons. It's because in a few years, no one will use iMessage or old school texts anymore because virtually EVERYONE will use Whatsapp because virtually EVERYONE has it. It's already happening in Europe und the US will be next.
Texts are only the beginning, phone calls are next. Facetime never took off and never will. Skype will probably be the next major victim of Whatsapp.
Even Google has realized all that, but too late. Now they are pushing Allo really hard, but my guess it'll be a dud just like Google+
You have to be big as quickly as possible, and then you'll dominate the globe for a long time. There's no space for runner-ups in this kind of economy.
What I'm trying to say: Apple had a huge chance to establish iMessage as THE platform for communication while the iPhone was on the rise like they did it with the iTunes Store, but they blew it big time. Now that Android has won the marketshare battle, it's game over and too late. Even porting it to Android now wouldn't help iMessage. Where's the benefit for Whatsapp users? There is none. Whatsapp is far superior in most respects. Apple is caught in this thinking that the big money is only in the hardware. That brought them a lot of success but now to a dead end while Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft realized that hardware will be commoditized in the long run and that you'll have to have strong dominating services.
That's true if you're a 12 year old kid with just an iPod Touch.
But anyone I'd be talking to does have a phone plan. We were texting before iMessage was a thing. That was on phones.
And I would assume everyone reading this thread also has a phone too.
While you're correct... "you don't need a phone plan" is one of the least important reasons to use iMessage.
Apple is providing a service for its users, just another benefit of their ecosystem basically. It wasn't there to become the standard for everything outside of Apple, and I don't think anyone had any false ideas of Apple taking over the marketshare when competing with a whole bunch of phone manufacturers making tons of different Android models at all kinds of different pricepoints.
Apple has a market all it's own they don't need to provide Androiders entry it's Androiders clamouring to get entry onto iMessage - you want in, buy in.
Or if you are traveling internationally, for example, and don't need to worry about phone plans in areas where you are.
You should get back to school. There's no word 'everyone' in my post.You and Derekuda should get together. He says 'everyone' has unlimited SMS, and you say they don't.
I used to have a no free SMS plan, and did fine. The people I msg'ed the most (wife, kids, etc.) had iPhones, so iMessage was fine. For few people (at the time) that 'other' phones, I used Google Voice. No muss, no fuss.
I say, keep iMessages in-house. I don't want to start getting spam texts from everyone.
SMS worked for you but somehow it doesn't work for billions of people who use messenger apps. Surprise.
Spam depends on the app and what it does to prevent such abuse of the app. I don't get spam in Skype but get it in Whatsapp since day one although use Skype miles more than whatsapp.
The common non-tech-savvy iPhone user doesn't even know what iMessage is, because it's so well integrated with regular texting. That was great in 2008 when texting was still a thing, but these days people are used to the fact that 'there's an app for that'. Everyone simply uses what everyone else is using and what works well, and that's Whatsapp in more and more regions of the world.
