14 DAY TRIAL // iMessage is one rather popular messaging platform, but unfortunately for almost everybody, it’s only available on Apple’s ecosystem, so technically, it can only be used by those with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
And when I said almost everybody, I didn’t mean Apple too, as the Cupertino-based tech giant reportedly believes that bringing iMessage to Android would actually do more harm than good for the company.
This is what software chief Craig Federighi allegedly said when discussing the possibility of such a release, explaining that “moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us, this email illustrates why.”
The comments have been revealed as part of the legal war between Epic and Apple and at some level, it shows that iMessage on Android isn’t necessarily something that comes down to technical struggles but to Apple not willing to expand its messaging platform.
iMessage was announced in 2011
It’s not a secret that several people have tried to bring iMessage to Android with various approaches in the last few years, but all of them ended up being banned after Apple decided to keep the service exclusive to its users.
But on the other hand, iMessage, which first launched as part of iOS 5, could actually record a massive boom if Apple ever decides to bring it to Android. It goes without saying it could eventually become the number one alternative to the likes of WhatsApp and Telegram, as the Facebook-owner company is currently considered the world’s leading messaging platform.
In the meantime, however, it’s pretty clear Apple isn’t necessarily interested in an expansion of iMessage to Android, and we should actually expect several improvements aimed at Apple users with the release of iOS 15 in the fall of the year.
A preview of iOS 15 will be offered at WWDC in the summer.