It sounds like what this thread is asking really comes down to "How important is iMessage to you, and is it it the only or the main thing that's keeping you on iOS?"
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If iMessage was available on Android would you switch?
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Honestly having iMessages on Android would make me really consider staying on Android. I have a 5X right now alongside my 6S and I just can't bring myself to use it as a daily driver because I talk to so many people who use iMessages.
I'd be happy getting it on Windows too. I use windows far more than I use OSX. That said I use Android and iOS daily, so this question may not psepecifically apply to me. I wouldn't mind having the option on Android though.
I use WhatsApp with people that don't have an iPhone and to communicate with friends and family in Colombia. But I like iMessage better.
I have considered that, but then I wouldn't get to Facetime with my son who is a thousand miles away, since he refuses to use Skype. I could probably live without imessage but facetime is a must for me. Thank you for the suggestions none the less. If things change in the future I will keep them in mind.
Skype is a free calling service to anybody else who has Skype which includes video chat and calls with the option of calling other lines like real phones for a charge. There is also some other options for video chat. Me personally I prefer to use third party options as much as possible for two reasons. One reason is if I change OS's it's very easy since my usage of apps can be switched easily along with the OS. iMessage is something I like and since I have a MacBook Pro I find texting everybody sms or iMessage convenient but at the end not enough to keep me buying iPhones. If Apple removes the 3.5mm jack I might think hard going back to Android.
I never realized how great that aspect of iMessage was until I used a Fire Phone for a month between my 5s and 6s. I sent a video of my son to my wife and she complained about my phone taking horrible videos. I had no idea what she was talking about till she got home and showed me the version she got in the text. It looked like it came from the first generation of flip phones capable of video.
I love iMessage but that alone wouldn't keep me with iOS. Android itself keeps me here just fine on its own.
I have unlimited international SMS/MMS on my plan but still prefer to use iMessage (for many reasons, some have already been mentioned in this thread). I'd say three-quarters of my contacts are iOS users. But I still voted 'no' because there is so much more to this platform that keeps me here than just iMessage.
To mention a few; iCloud sharing for family calendar events is amazing (my wife and I use this all the time), Find My Friends is very useful to me and use it very often, apps that support touch ID are a godsend (all three banks we use have touch ID support in their apps), most things are thought-out very well with heavy emphases on integration and ease of use, privacy is not an afterthought, ability to phone or simply walk into any Apple store and get hardware and software support even after warranty has expired is priceless, I could go on but I think that's sufficient.
Everything is not perfect though. Example; I much prefer Google Maps to Apple's. Also there are a number of artificial limitations put in place by Apple that I wish they would change their minds on (e.g. allowing third party apps to be set as default).
To mention a few; iCloud sharing for family calendar events is amazing (my wife and I use this all the time), Find My Friends is very useful to me and use it very often, apps that support touch ID are a godsend (all three banks we use have touch ID support in their apps), most things are thought-out very well with heavy emphases on integration and ease of use, privacy is not an afterthought, ability to phone or simply walk into any Apple store and get hardware and software support even after warranty has expired is priceless, I could go on but I think that's sufficient.
Everything is not perfect though. Example; I much prefer Google Maps to Apple's. Also there are a number of artificial limitations put in place by Apple that I wish they would change their minds on (e.g. allowing third party apps to be set as default).
The fact that I have the iPad too will allow me to, temporarily, switch to an Android phone. I want to switch carriers, and I'll be using an inexpensive Android phone for the time required to get my iPhone unlocked. Then I'll go back to the iPhone and have a backup phone compatible with the new carrier. Without inconveniencing people I iMessage with.