Apple's Rationale for Not Bringing iMessage to Android Revealed in Legal Documents

[99chickens]

If Apple really cared about privacy it would had given us iMessage for Android.
Then we wouldn't need to install Whatsapp or other junk to talk to others with Android phones.
Everyone would just use iMessage on iPhone and Android and would instantly kill all other messaging services.
Plus Android does support SMS+Messaging app integration (look at Signal) so the experience would had been similar.
They could offer an ad-based version (ads only by Apple) or a bit cut down version as an alternative.

Why would Apple care about privacy on Android devices? That's like Target worrying about liquid spills in Wal Mart aisles.

And by the way, no one is forcing to install WhatsApp, and it is in fact possible to text message Android users from an iOS device.

 

[99chickens]

Hardly anyone I know uses iMessage, BECAUSE it's not available cross-platform. They all use WhatsApp, Signal, Threema, Telegram, whatever.

Exactly. Hardly anyone you know.

 

[linkgx1]

Know what's weird? Outside of the US, everybody uses either Whatsapp, Line or WeChat. Blew my mind when I first left the country. I think this only holds water here.

 

[Anthony Sullivan]

"It's no secret that Apple sees iMessage as a big enough selling point to keep the service exclusive to Apple devices"

Honestly, what's so great about iMessage? Really?

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Don’t see for now this such a big deal. I mean, there are plenty of cross platform messaging apps. Its a highly competitive marketplace.

More important is to ascertain if Apple is or isn’t siphoning the digital market place with the App Store. I believe that they are given their market share.

 

[Anthony Sullivan]

What are Epic going to be complaining about next? Microsoft for having Xbox exclusive titles? Sony for having Playstation exclusive titles and Nintendo for having Switch exclusive titles?

What does that even mean? What is your logic or rationale here seriously?

I'm sorry, but even 15% is far too saucy. For a multimillion dollar business? The biggest game in the world? Apple think they are entitled to 15% of that just for hosting and "quality control" (yeah, that must cost billions of dollars). I hope Epic gets what they want.

 

[MrKennedy]

What does that even mean? What is your logic or rationale here seriously?

I'm sorry, but even 15% is far too saucy. For a multimillion dollar business? The biggest game in the world? Apple think they are entitled to 15% of that just for hosting and "quality control" (yeah, that must cost billions of dollars). I hope Epic gets what they want.

I think the point they're making is that a platform exclusive app has nothing to do with Epic's beef with Apple's revenue share. They aren't related.

 

[wigby]

If Apple really cared about privacy it would had given us iMessage for Android.

Who is "us"? Can Apple really be expected to protect Android users too? Apple consistently only cares about their own customers which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[IG88]

Apple keeping iMessage on iOS doesn't need justification or explanation. There's absolutely zero upside for Apple to do it.

 

[wigby]

The world has become a strange place in some ways. What’s so strange in the fact that a company doesn’t want to share one feature that makes their products more appealing with no clear upside in doing so?

How is selling 2x more iPhones not a "clear upside"?

 

[LeeW]

I get that Apple wanted to protect their own revenue, don't even mind it, I would do the same thing. In reality, though I don't personally see that many using it these days. The alternatives are there for both platforms and people use those more these days.

 

[Rogifan]

I‘m not sure why this is shocking to anyone. if iMessage is a big reason people choose iPhone and the Apple ecosystem over the competition why would they give it to a competitor? No one is buying an iPhone for Apple Music or TV+.

 

[Rocco Paris]

I consider myself an Apple Pro-User, but I cannot understand everyone's infatuation with iMessage. It's a blue bubble instead of a green bubble.

 

[alexandr]

as an apple user i'd love for my android-using friends/colleagues to be able to use imessage, but i highly doubt that they would care to.

 

[alexandr]

I consider myself an Apple Pro-User, but I cannot understand everyone's infatuation with iMessage. It's a blue bubble instead of a green bubble.

odd comment for a pro user.. imessage combines regular sms messages and whatsapp-like data messages into one app. it runs natively on macos(so less typing needs to be done on the phone) and everything(almost) is integrated into the program.

 

[farewelwilliams]

There is no way Apple was ever going to put iMessage on Android or Windows: It could only hurt them to do so as they get no revenue from it, unlike Apple TV+ and Apple Music.

Unless they charged a small fee to Android users. Maybe like $5/mo for 200gb of iCloud storage, unlimited outgoing FaceTime calls, etc...
Then Android users would think about switching to iPhone to save on costs and to realize the ecosystem of having Messages available on the watch, phone, tablet, and computer would be attractive.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple could benefit from Android users, bolstering subscriptions to services

but Apple can charge a subscription fee for the use of the service on Android.

Why not make it a paid app? Surely they could determine a profitable price point.

Like most Android users would pay for anything

 

[trifid]

So there you have it folks, Apple is and will always be a hardware company. Their lack of vision will never let them be a services-first, hardware-second company.

The BBM (blackberry messenger) history is repeating.

 

[cmaier]

Even if Apple wanted to, at this point it would be impossible to provide the full experience on android (with Apple Pay, imessage apps, etc.).

 

[kshitijshah]

the blackberry messenger business model days are over. iMessage works as a walled garden only in the US

 

[ruka.snow]

Maybe so but if you send an iMessage with a picture and it goes as an SMS then you have to pay. Using WhatsApp is so much less hassle and free. Seriously, in the media etc everybody talks about WhatsApp groups etc - it is the messaging system in the UK.

SMS are free. And again, American forums are the only place I have ever heard of WhatsApp. If you want a group chat there is Discord.

 

[MacRS4]

MMS are not free in the UK in most contracts I see - they're certainly not on our work ones. I'd say 80%+ of my message traffic is on WhatsApp (UK/London), with the rest made up of Signal and the odd SMS. Rarely use iMessage natively.

I think what all the disagreement tells you/us is that people think that what they use is what everybody must use. In reality, I think it just shows that it doesn't really matter that much.

 

[quietstormSD]

I think everyone already assumed this. iMessage lock in is huge. I get disappointed when a new girl I’m talking to has green bubbles!

 

[hans1972]

Also, I’d like to ask the Safari haters what they’d say about Apple or Google if Google said the same thing: want Chrome? Get a Windows computer. Otherwise stick with your Safari.

What’s the response in this case if it’s an Apple-like action taken by a non-Apple entity?

macOS is enjoying tremendously from the efforts of developers who are cross-platform. Apps can be installed on macOS from anywhere. Why not on iOS?

That question is conveniently ignored.

1. I have no problems Google removing all their software and services from Apple devices

2. Apple doesn't want it that way.

 

[applicious84]

SMS are free. And again, American forums are the only place I have ever heard of WhatsApp. If you want a group chat there is Discord.

I don't go on too many forums like this, but I definitely started using WhatsApp because of international friends. Americans seemed to hardly be using it at the time. I joined when you had to pay $1 for a year though