Android fans who have been waiting for Apple to bring its popular iMessage platform to Android won’t be getting blue chat bubbles anytime soon, according to Apple executives at WWDC.
Despite pre-WWDC rumors that Apple planned to push iMessage across the Android divide, the company revealed this week that it has some pretty good reasons to keep it as an exclusive iOS feature.
Veteran Apple reporter Walt Mossberg talked to Apple brass during WWDC this week and was told there are two key advantages to not giving Android users iMessage.
“When I asked a senior Apple executive why iMessage wasn’t being expanded to other platforms, he gave two answers,” reports Mossberg. “First, he said, Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on. And, second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those devices — the company’s classic (and successful) rationale for years.”
Bringing iMessage to Android wouldn’t be totally out of the ordinary for Apple. The company launched an Apple Music app for Android last year and it was two other apps on the Google Play Store, though one is dedicated to moving Android users to iOS.
During its WWDC keynote earlier this week, Apple showed off a slew of new features for Messages like bigger emoji, animated hand-written notes, invisible ink, stickers, iMessage apps and much more as part of iOS 10.
Even though Apple isn’t bringing Messages to Android, the company opened other products like Siri to third-party developers to expand the platform. To get a full look at all the changes coming to iOS 10 this fall, check out our hands-on video below:
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
17 responses to “Apple reveals why iMessage isn’t coming to Android”
This is an Apple joke
Yeah, keep them pesky droids away.
“Until Google can figure out how to make decent messaging app that works over both SMS and wifi, we might as well profit from platform lock-in.”
Thought someone had developed an app for the Google platform that would do it.
Not really. The App basically routed iMessages through a Mac and was massively insecure.
Add to it that if you did it on Android, you’d lose the security aspect, and that while you mention bringing iTunes to Android and Windows, those are storefronts that make money — there is no such thing in messages but in fact there is a great expense…
I just want iMessage on Windows
LOL@ Apple so 2007…tired yet ? WWDC was the FIFTH yawn fest of nothing. Its like waiting for the return of the aliens..ain’t happening no matter how many search for alien or Bigfoot episodes on tv there are.
Here is the gameplan:
1. Count up all appl devices in household
2. Sell to remaining clueless fanbois (Gazelle/Ebay)
3. Weep on all the stuff trapped in iTunes and cut bait
4. Take proceeds and buy SP4 and get cheap or free movies, save rests for Surface SuperPhone or Xbox1S or Hololens
5. Post about it and make fun of remaining fanbois.
That’s cute, an Apple hater posting on an Apple focused site. All you trolls are capable of posting is BS and that comment is just more proof. Thanks for proving to us all how much of a moron you are!
What don’t you get of your computer and go do your homework before your mom gets home.
Of my computer?
If iMessage were native on Android, Google would find a way to trawl through all my conversations to sell advertising targeted at me.
Android fans waiting for iMessages? Really?
Could be one day though to help shave $20 a month on SMS and ditch Google Hangouts SMS.
Android fans who have been waiting for Apple to bring its popular iMessage platform to Android
I get it !!! It’s an oxymoron! Like military intelligence or clearly confused !!!
Because Allo will be so much different from their previous six attempts at messaging.
Yup! Should be. It’s basically an exact copy of iMessage for android which they have never done before so yes. It should be different.