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You've heard it here first, iMessage is going cross platform

tomtad

tomtad

macrumors 68020
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Jun 7, 2015
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A prediction but I don't see many people talking about this. Given the focus on messages at this years WWDC (in the invites, Twitter hashflags, rumours etc) it seems iMessage is going to be getting a significant upgrade and the obvious next step is to make it cross platform with an Android app and maybe even a browser version. Everyone will be getting blue bubbles from this September.

With Apple's ongoing privacy campaign and the backlash against new terms in WhatsApp now seems the perfect time to announce a messaging service with privacy at its heart. It’ll also give iMessage a new lease of life with many now drifting to cross platform messaging services.

We'll know in just over 24 hours but I will be stunned if this is not announced.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I don't see it happening unless the security can stay as it should be, not to mention that would require an app in Google store which isn't going to happen.
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What security? People seem to think iMessage is some holy grail of E2EE / security but it‘s really not.

It‘s simple public / private keypair asymmetric encryption and if you turn on Messages in iCloud, it equals no encryption cause your private keys are backed up to iCloud where Apple can theoretically grab them from to give law enforcement your whole messaging history. Combine that with the fact that Apple literally stores metadata about who you contact at what time, including the messaging intend (e.g. compose a new message -> it pings for iMessage support for individual contacts you enter) it‘s pretty much like WhatsApp… minus the monetize user data and/or linking them to an ad profile for non-GDPR users.

That being said, iMessage for Android is too little too late. A less immature reaction (iMessage on Android would be a kneejerk reaction that profits no one cause people wont hop on the iMessage train, at least outside of the US) to the Epic trial / WhatsApp dilemma would be adding support for RCS so Apple-to-Android SMS/MMS nightmare communication gets phased out sooner rather than later. That‘d be a „security“ upgrade cause anyone voluntarily using SMS/MMS nowadays has lost the grip on their life in terms of privacy and secure communication… not to mention the archaic feature set.

Also: Apple has Play Store apps… like Music.
 
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Personally, I know many people that would switch to Android in a heartbeat and they use iPhones only because of the iMessage. Lately I've been thinking a lot about getting Samsung, but I don't want to give up iMessage completely.
 
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tomtad said:
We'll know in just over 24 hours but I will be stunned if this is not announced.
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Prepare to be stunned then. iMessages is a tool which prevents people from leaving for Android platforms. If iMessages was on Android then suddenly the lucrative iPhone isn't so much. Even making iMessages available via iCloud would allow Windows users and Android users to no longer need to buy a Mac/Android phone.
 
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If it happens, which I doubt, it won't matter to millions of people. I dislike Facebook, never had an account but since relocating to Europe a few years ago I have used Whats App even when I had an iPhone. I am fully aware that Facebook has access to my messages but if Zuckerberg gets off on knowing what time I am meeting Suzie and Johnny at the pub tomorrow, I am happy to give the Alien man a bit of excitement.

This whole nonsense about people and it seems to be quite US centric not wanting to communicate with people and shunning people who don't use iMessage is somewhat amusing.
 
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Expos of 1969 said:
This whole nonsense about people and it seems to be quite US centric not wanting to communicate with people and shunning people who don't use iMessage is somewhat amusing.
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I’m an American, and that behavior is just baffling to me. For me, it’s just an easy way to tell if I should assign “iPhone” and not “mobile” for their contact. I’d use SMS in RCS mode (if it was available everywhere) and be perfectly happy with the experience. Don’t need anything more.
 
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Expos of 1969 said:
If it happens, which I doubt, it won't matter to millions of people. I dislike Facebook, never had an account but since relocating to Europe a few years ago I have used Whats App even when I had an iPhone. I am fully aware that Facebook has access to my messages but if Zuckerberg gets off on knowing what time I am meeting Suzie and Johnny at the pub tomorrow, I am happy to give the Alien man a bit of excitement.

This whole nonsense about people and it seems to be quite US centric not wanting to communicate with people and shunning people who don't use iMessage is somewhat amusing.
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Now that I know you use "WhatsApp," I will have to use ignore. :p :p

:D

j/k ;)

Blue is my favorite color bubble, though.
 
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dogslobber said:
Prepare to be stunned then. iMessages is a tool which prevents people from leaving for Android platforms. If iMessages was on Android then suddenly the lucrative iPhone isn't so much. Even making iMessages available via iCloud would allow Windows users and Android users to no longer need to buy a Mac/Android phone.
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Really? Here in Europe most people with iPhones I know also use WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc., all of which are cross-platform. I cannot think of any single iMessage feature that is currently exclusive to it or better than competition. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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one more said:
Really? Here in Europe most people with iPhones I know also use WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc., all of which are cross-platform. I cannot think of any single iMessage feature that is currently exclusive to it or better than competition. 🤷🏻‍♂️
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They sounds like kids. Maybe their mom pays for their iPhone?
 
dogslobber said:
They sounds like kids. Maybe their mom pays for their iPhone?
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Kids eh? I would like to inform you that in Greece practically EVERYBODY is using Viber. I could bet money that at least 95% are using it. I have 7 friends there with iPhones and they use Viber when they contact me. They could use iMessage with me but are used to Viber because all their other contacts use it.
 
In Europe iMessage isn't really a thing. Sure, if the receiver of my text message has an iPhone it is blue, if he has an Android phone it is green, but hardly anyone knows that. And nobody uses iMessages for group chats (we use WhatsApp and Messenger).
 
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Absolutely not, nothing to see at WWDC for iMessage, except for new Animojis and Memojis 😂 one does not put the greatest messaging platform known to man on trash like android. 😳

I can already feel my iMessage lagging, just thinking of iMessage being on a samsung device 🤦‍♂️
 
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NewUsername said:
In Europe iMessage isn't really a thing. Sure, if the receiver of my text message has an iPhone it is blue, if he has an Android phone it is green, but hardly anyone knows that. And nobody uses iMessages for group chats (we use WhatsApp and Messenger).
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Correct. Here in Germany, I have many contacts with iPhones (you can see the FaceTime option in contacts) but no one, I communicate with on a regular basis, is using iMessage. WhatsApp is #1 by far (not that I like it, but that’s what it is).

For my closest family contacts like my 70+ year old parents or my aunt, Telegram is #1 as they mainly use iPads and Android Tablets and there is no WhatsApp-App for tablets. My aunt does not even own a smartphone but uses Telegram for messaging and sharing photos with her friends and family a lot on her Lenovo Tab. :rolleyes:

iMessage is really not a thing in Europe.
 
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