Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Rationale for Not Bringing iMessage to Android Revealed in Legal Documents
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'm shocked that a company would act in a way that maintains it's business, SHOCKED. I mean no other phone company does this, in fact this just shows how innovative Apple is being the first company in history to act to protect its profit margins!
It's no secret that Apple sees iMessage as a big enough selling point to keep the service exclusive to Apple devices, however new court filings submitted by Epic Games in its ongoing lawsuit with the company reveal just how Apple executives have rationalized their decision not to develop a version of iMessage for Android.
Apple clearly recognizes the power that iMessage has to keep users loyal to its platforms, particularly in the U.S., and Epic is using emails as well as extracts from depositions with Apple executives Eddie Cue, Craig Federighi, and Phil Schiller to bolster its narrative that Apple seeks to lock customers into its ecosystem.
For example, the document cites an 2016 email in which an unnamed former Apple employee complained that iMessage "amounts to serious lock-in," which prompted Schiller to respond: "Moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us, this email illustrates why."
As Cue's comments show, Apple was capable of developing an Android version of iMessage as early as 2013, but chose not to, since it would remove one obstacle that prevents families from giving their children Android phones.
In 2016, rumors began swirling around the possibility Apple might launch a version of iMessage for Android smartphones due to the company's increased focus on services, however senior Apple executives shot down those rumors by admitting that having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those devices, which has been the company's classic (and successful) rationale for years.
Apple does distribute some apps on the Google Play store for Android, such as Apple Music, Move to iOS (for users who are transitioning from an Android smartphone to an iPhone), and Beats, an app used to pair with Beats products with Android devices.
Article Link: Apple's Rationale for Not Bringing iMessage to Android Revealed in Legal Documents
If people really cared about privacy they wouldn’t have gotten an Android to begin with. Privacy is not motivation to make iMessage for Android.
Apple doesn’t throw ads into any for the sake of profit, it’s not their business. Neither is a watered down experience.
As a person who has zero desire to move to Android having iMessage be cross-platform significantly improves my experience of iMessage and iPhone out of the box. That goes for iPad and Mac, too. Being potentially able to message most people on the planet directly in iMessages means I could uninstall all the Zuckerburg messaging apps. If Apple cared about users, privacy and UX they would do this. Heck, Apple has shown us lately they care more about money than human rights, let alone UX. I personally don't buy the argument people would stop using iPhones if iMessage was in Android. Sure, some outliers would, but most people primarily use WA of FM anyway. It works both ways too, get die-hard Android users to get used to iMessage and they could see a path to moving into the Apple ecosystem. As Android users in the world outnumber Apple users by a good margin I see more people over time potentially moving over to Apple from Android and not away from Apple having got used to iMessage for interactions. Apple should be encouraging a culture where UX trumps everything and the best UX and the best products win, not cheap lock-in gimmicks. Remove these crutches and win by being better.
Last edited:
You would easily be wrong on that. WeChat in China alone likely outpaces WhatsApp, and that was before the WhatsApp privacy concerns lost it users around the world.
They’d have to price it at the price of the not bought iPhone of that user then.
I don't understand people.
They use iMessage which works only on Apple devices.
They use Whatsapp that is owned by EvilBook and breaches privacy as much as it can.
They don't use Signal which is free, protect privacy, and works on most systems out there.
They use iMessage which works only on Apple devices.
They use Whatsapp that is owned by EvilBook and breaches privacy as much as it can.
They don't use Signal which is free, protect privacy, and works on most systems out there.
maybe it is different here in Australia as we are one of the few countries where iOS actually has a higher market share than Android (currently 54% iOS vs 44% Android) but iMessage is still very popular here in Australia.
I find it to be the best. Far and away. The feature set is amazing. I use WhatsApp a lot and it finally got the ability to easily add gifs. It finally got stickers and they suck by comparison. It’s owned by Facebook so no privacy. Signal is at early stages of development.
Nothing’s perfect but iMessage is great.
Everyone in the world that has an iPhone uses iMessage. They may also use other messaging platforms, but if they are sending an sms to anyone, they are using iMessage to do it.
This is such a stupid statement. They've been "capable of developing an Android version" from the day iMessage was a concept! It's just software.
If you honestly think that the entire Microsoft Office suite of products (i.e. Visio, Access, Project, etc) doesn't exist on the Mac because it's "technically not possible", then you need to be in some other field than tech (I had to revise that to be less harsh...).
Of course they chose not to develop for Android, just like they chose not to develop it for Windows, Tizen, PalmOS, or any other operating system, to tie you to THEIR OS. It happens every day. So should Apple then be forced to develop iCloud backup and restore for Android? Maybe Google should be forced to provide iCloud drive hooks for Google drive.
When a company has a good idea, they are free to implement it however they see fit. Foot stomping because you chose an OS that it doesn't support is your problem, not theirs.
I'd say this article borders on click bait, if Epic hadn't actually used this stupid argument in a legal filing.
Talk about grasping at straws.
and you may a decision to purchase an iOS device, knowing that everything would have to be purchased through the Apple App Store. This has been the case since the iPhone first launched. If people don't like it, they can buy an Android phone.
It is a common thing depending on region. Folks like yourself in Australia and myself in Scotland are happily using iMessage and everyone has it. People in other regions of the world where everyone uses {x} are wondering how on earth you can live without {x}. Frankly without iMessage I would be all but completely cut off from family and most friends (except those that have Discord. Those on Skype arrange the meeting on iMessage).
In Ireland it's the same. The person from Scotland in this thread is wrong. WA has more users than iMessage.
Because it's still a lot better than SMS. FB Messenger is decent but not built-in and by phone number.
Last edited:
Well in what context? As other people have stated, every single iPhone user in the world uses iMessage, even if it is just to send an SMS. They may also use other apps, but they are still using iMessage, so not sure about how you could say WhatsApp has 65% market share. 65% market share of what? third party messaging apps?
Almost nobody cares about privacy or openness. They only care about it working easily.
The lack of vision of Apple execs and fans is nothing short of astounding.
No clear upside? How about:
- Offer great features and tight integration on iOS: bring iMessage fans to the iOS platform. Lock them in, but on an individual basis because the experience is better, not because of their friend network
- Offer tight OS integration on Macs: bring and lock iMessage fans to the Mac platform by providing a great experience
- Integrate other services and cross sell, e.g. Apple Music: iMessage could be their social music platform that actually doesn't suck and tank
- Integrate payment services into it and get a cut (P2P or POS: Apple Pay for Android could live right in iMessage)
- Grow it into something more like Telegram with even more group features. Make it something truly great for private and business customers. Create more brand awareness even outside of the Apple bubble. Endless possibilities in the future...
- Because it is mediocre
- Because everywhere else Android could grab market share beyond the tipping point where iOS users have enough non-iOS friends that they are forced to install other clients. Then groups are created in WhatsApp or Telegram. And then iMessage slowly declines to zero usage because it offers no benefits.
You're thinking FaceTime. They said they would open source it. Then never did.
Last edited: