‘iMessage’ is a messaging app launched by Apple in 2011. It’s a service that allows free messaging between iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS devices.
iMessage also doubles as a basic messaging app. If the recipient cannot use iMessage, it sends a regular SMS. Regular messages and iMessages are distinguished by the color of their speech bubbles. Regular messages are green, while iMessages are displayed in blue.
If the recipient also uses iMessage, the speech bubble is marked in blue, and several additional features can be used. You can edit or cancel an already sent message, and it indicates when the other person is typing. It is also possible to check if the other person has read the message.
In essence, iMessage is a service only for Apple devices. However, the British IT startup ‘Nothing’ has announced an app that allows iMessage to be sent and received on any type of smartphones.
Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing, announced on November 14th (local time) through a video posted on the company’s official YouTube channel that the ‘Nothing Chat’ app, which allows iMessage to be sent and received on Nothing Phone 2, will be launched this week.
Why was iMessage introduced on Nothing Phone? ‘In case you can’t let go of the iPhone’
Carl Pei mentioned that most of the consumers who purchased the ‘Nothing Ear’ series of earphones from the company are iPhone users. He added that consumers who were attracted to the unique design of Nothing and purchased earphones did not want to change their smartphones. He speculated that there might be other reasons why iPhone users do not switch to Nothing Phones.
Carl Pei pointed to iMessage as the cause. He said that although numerous messenger apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram have been launched in the market, the proportion of iMessage is overwhelmingly large. He said that when chatting with friends via messenger, you might feel left out if there is no ‘blue speech bubble’ indicating an iMessage user.
So, Carl Pei found a way to make the blue speech bubble appear even when using Nothing Phone, just like the iPhone. He claimed that if it looks like you’re using iMessage even without using an iPhone, you won’t feel left out.
Nothing collaborated with an app development company called ‘Sunbird’. Sunbird is developing an Android app that allows you to view various messages such as iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, regular SMS, and MMS at once. Sunbird developed the function to send and receive iMessage, and Nothing took charge of app design. The result was the ‘Nothing Chat’ app.
iMessage ‘backward compatibility’… What features does Nothing Chat support?
Unfortunately, Nothing Chat did not perfectly implement the iMessage function. The blue speech bubble appears as if you are an iMessage user, and it supports △1:1 conversation △Group chat △Indicator showing that the message is being typed △Sharing original media files △Voice memo function. However, the function to check if the other person has read the message and the message reaction and reply function are not yet available.
Meanwhile, Apple added a function to cancel and edit the content to iOS 16 iMessage. You can cancel the transmission within 2 minutes after sending the message or edit the content within 15 minutes. It is not known whether Nothing Chat supports this function.
How can you use iMessage on Android?
How did Sunbird enable the use of iMessage on Android? The media that delivered the news speculated that a well-known workaround was applied.
Some users are already using the method of creating an Apple server with a Mac or virtual machine for iMessage use and logging in with an Apple account. Several Android apps that set up private servers and relay the iMessage function have also been launched. Assuming that Sunbird used a similar method, it can be seen as a relay role that logs in with the user’s Apple account and then sends and receives iMessage.
Some have expressed concern about the leakage of users’ personal information. There are claims that Nothing and Sunbird could intercept the user’s Apple account and view the conversation content. Carl Pei emphasized that all personal information required when using the Nothing Chat service is stored only on the user’s device, and the conversation content is applied with end-to-end encryption so that it cannot be viewed by Nothing or Sunbird. It is also stated on the official Nothing Chat homepage that the Sunbird service does not store messages on the server at any point during transmission.
Questions about Apple blocking… Nothing·Sunbird “No reason to”
Nothing Chat can hardly be seen as a normal way to use the iMessage service. It’s no different from borrowing someone else’s Apple device and logging in with your account.
Although some consumers have used iMessage through a workaround and Android apps that relay the function have been launched, Apple has not directly sanctioned them. But Nothing Chat is different. It’s a service provided directly by a smartphone manufacturer. As of November 2013, Nothing Chat has already been launched in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Carl Pei revealed that the number of customers who can currently use Nothing Chat is in the six figures (at least 100,000).
From Apple’s point of view, it’s like watching people who didn’t buy their products only use the service. If the number of customers using iMessage relay services, including Nothing Chat, increases in the future, there is a possibility of limiting use.
Carl Pei is aware of this. However, he claimed that no element violates the law in the Nothing Chat service. He was confident that Tim Cook would surely convey what Nothing is doing to Apple internally after watching his video. Still, because the scale is relatively small, Apple would not take action.
Danny Mizrahi, CEO of Sunbird, claimed that “Nothing Chat and Sunbird help Apple provide the best experience to users,” and that there is no basis for Apple to block their services. Apple has not yet officially commented on the Nothing Chat service.
By. Lee Byung Chan
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