14 DAY TRIAL // Ubuntu Touch is considered stable and has quite a few core applications that work and a few hundred more that are being worked on, but one of the most requested apps is by far an Ubuntu Instant Messaging solution.
Ubuntu for phones and tablets has SMS support, but an increasing number of users are no longer employing this function. More and more people are using some sort of an IM, like WhatsApp or Telegram, so something with support for multiple protocols. Anything that doesn't involve paying the carrier for simple messages.
A couple of developers have expressed their interest in building a messaging app, but it won't be here too soon, unfortunately. One of them even has a preview ready for sharing.
“I am currently building a prototype telepathy client that uses the Ubuntu SDK (‘ubuntu IM’). I don't have much free time right now either, but I think by May it should have basic functionality and be ready to be merged into messaging-app. I don't care about any fancy features (video, group chats etc) for now,” said Kai Mast on the Ubuntu mailing list.
Having a working Ubuntu IM, with support for multiple protocols hopefully, would certainly increase the appeal of the platform. There are probably a lot of users out there who are only using instant messaging and who would love to give Ubuntu Touch a go if they had an alternative.