iMessage is the only major messaging service that’s exclusive to one platform. According to Tim Cook, that’s because iMessage helps sell Apple devices — but does anyone actually buy an iPhone for iMessage alone?
Would it really hurt Apple if its popular messaging service went cross-platform? Lots of iPhone and iPad owners also use Android devices, and bringing the service to Google’s platform would provide them with a more seamless messaging experience.
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we throw virtual hands over whether Apple should bring iMessage to Android.
Killian Bell: A recent report promised Apple would finally bring iMessage to Android at WWDC back in June. That didn’t happen, and Tim Cook has since stated it never will — but as a regular user of both Android and iOS, I really think Apple should change its mind.
iMessage is one of the only messaging services that’s exclusive to just one platform. Everything else — WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Viber, and even BlackBerry Messenger now — is available on both Android and iOS. This ensures a seamless experience for all users, no matter which platform they choose today or when their next upgrade is due. It makes sense.
iMessage users don’t have that freedom, and they should.
I think bringing iMessage to Android could help sell more iPhones. I don’t think it will encourage many people to switch from iOS to Android — at least not enough for Apple to really notice — but I do think giving long-time Android users a taste of Apple’s services could give them a thirst for more. And so many people already use iMessage that plenty of Android owners will want it.
Given your irrational fear of Android and its users, I know you’ll disagree. So tell me why.
Photo: Apple
Luke Dormehl: What self-respecting iPhone user wants to message a filthy Androider?
Okay, on a serious note, I can see why Android users would want iMessage. It’s a nifty tool, and some of the features Tim Cook mentioned at WWDC: the new “invisible ink” concept, the in-line Apple Music links and more make it all the more tantalizing. But I don’t see what Apple would gain from porting it over to Android. I’m not convinced that it would give users a taste of what Apple has to offer, and would therefore cause them to jump ship.
All it would do would be to take a selling point of iOS — one which has been very successful for Apple based on the numbers of people who are using iMessage — and rob it of its Apple exclusivity. There’s an argument to be made that Apple could have done this back when iMessage first launched, before the market was completely flooded with messaging apps, but I can’t help but think this is the same argument people made in the 1990s when they desperately wanted Apple to license macOS to other companies.
And anyone who has been reading my “Today in Apple history’ series knows how that turned out. (Spoiler: not well!)
Let me ask you a question, though: with all the aforementioned messaging apps around, what is it that you see as iMessage’s chief market differentiator? I certainly use it, but in a market where WhatsApp and others are immensely popular, what do you view as iMessage’s appeal? In other words, as an Android user, what would you gain from it being ported across?
Killian: I don’t think it does take away a selling point. No one buys an iPhone solely because it has iMessage, and if you’ve decided at some point that you want to swap iOS for Android, iMessage alone won’t convince you to stay. It’s certainly a nice feature, but I don’t think it sells many iPhones.
But Apple could make it an even bigger selling point by bringing it to Android. For instance, it could give Android users a watered-down version of iMessage — without all the fancy new features it introduced at WWDC — then those who become hooked are more likely to think about picking up an iPhone when their Android is past its best.
The appeal is a more seamless experience. Lots of iPhone users also use Android tablets, and even more iPad owners use Android phones. By making iMessage available on both platforms, Apple gives those users a greater experience.
Photo: Apple
Luke: So Apple should win over new users by offering a watered-down version of a product you don’t think is selling any iPhones anyway? I don’t really get your line of thinking here, Killian. The best reason I’ve heard for Apple bringing iMessage to Android is for people in countries where iPhones are massively the minority, and maybe one or two people out of a large group of friends have iPhones or iPads.
In that case I can appreciate that it basically forces the group to migrate over to another service like WhatsApp if they don’t want to buy iPhones. But you know what? If you’re a Mac user, you’re used to the idea that Apple operates as a walled garden or a closed ecosystem. It makes things easier and improves the user experience if Apple can control the hardware as well as the software that is apps are running on.
I don’t see how or why iMessage should be any different. No, it’s not selling iPhones on its own, but it’s one of a totality of tools that, yes, do sell Apple’s products. My dad recently jumped over to Apple for the first time, having previously been a Samsung user. He’s not particularly tech savvy and iMessage and its ability to work across all his devices (iPad and iMac as well) has been a revelation. Taking that concept and making it work on rival devices is no different to the previous demands that Apple license its operating system.
I just don’t see a compelling case for it.
Killian: There are tens of millions of iPhone users out there who haven’t used a Mac before — for many it’s their first Apple device — and so they won’t be familiar with Apple’s walled garden. And just because some of them are, that doesn’t necessarily make it okay.
You can’t keep comparing iMessage to an entire operating system, either. It obviously wasn’t a good idea to license Mac OS or OS X — that was the sole reason for buying an Apple computer — but there are a whole bunch of reasons other than iMessage to buy an iPhone.
I’m obviously not going to convince you, so let’s see what the readers think. Should Apple bring iMessage to Android, or would it really hurt its iPhone business? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!
Friday Night Fights is a series of weekly death matches between two no-mercy brawlers who will fight to the death — or at least agree to disagree — about which is better: Apple or Google, iOS or Android?
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
18 responses to “Should Apple bring iMessage to Android? [Friday Night Fights]”
All I care about is the ability to see when my Android friends are typing a reply to me. If this solves that, then I’m in!
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We all have the odd friend that has an Android phone, but the fast majority around me have iPhones.
But group discussion by definition have to use WhatsApp and as a result many use that for one-on-one discussions as well. I dislike WhatsApp for various reasons but without a iMessage for Android I cannot delete that app.
We need iMessage for Android and we need the group discussion functionality to be matched, like seeing who has read messages, who hasn’t. Do that and a lot of iPhone users will delete WhatsApp. The minority can adept to us, not the other way around.
so it is basically, either you install watsapp (the only option for now) or your friend install iMessage (not happening now).
Indeed, so iMessage is an incomplete solution, which is a shame cause I really like it. Especially in iOS10, Messages is really nice.
So I can’t understand why they would do Apple Music for Android, but not iMessage
Self-interest. They want artist exclusives, so Apple Music will cast a wide net. iMessage doesn’t get new customers but does lock in iOS users who might otherwise jump ship for Android.
What?
I’m in the Netherlands and I seriously only know of 4 of my contacts who have Android phones.
I’m in the uk, I have a couple of friends that I use Facebook for, otherwise the majority of my friends have iPhones.
I don’t see any good reasons to have iMessage on my Android.
iMessage is just one of many messaging apps. There are tons of alternatives and complements. If you have both iOS/Android devices you can simply use them. Again iMessage is just one product and People will keep using multiple messaging apps because no single app can cover all users.
At the same time, I understand people who really want to use iMessage (all the time) even in other devices besides iPhone (or iPad). In this case, this exclusivity proves that it is a selling point.
Summary.
(1) some people want iMessage in Android.
(2) apple’s policy (exclusive) attracts those into Apple’s HW.
(3) other people don’t need iMessage at all. (many cross-platform alternatives)
As a soon be former walled garden prisoner (9 years of iPhone, moving to Galaxy Note 7) I can say from experience that messaging is BROKEN if you have any Android friends or acquaintances and you send group messages – iMessage’s servers mess it up more often than not – so unless you really agree with the opening salvo above – “What self-respecting iPhone user wants to message a filthy Androider?” then Cook and company should look how Microsoft is co-opting all three platforms with cross-platform services..
Using Microsoft as an example of how to win in the mobile space is hilarious! Yes, Apple needs to copy them!
One should definitely look to Microsoft to see how to gain market share in the mobile *productivity* space. Microsoft Office wasn’t early to the cross-platform office suite game but they have really covered serious ground in a relatively short amount of time with their Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote apps across all platforms.
While iMessage would be good to be cross platform… FaceTime would be better.
Your GIF on this page…is THAT how the new iMessage will look? Flashes of seizure-inducing horrible child-game style animations? What’s with all the popping, zooming and shaking? Why not just minimize all the ‘action and movement’ and just use a normal speedy animation without all the jarring wobbliness? Glad I moved to Android from iPhone. Best move in my life :)
Apple is obviously afraid iPhone users will switch to Android if they aren’t locked into iMessage.
I have had an iPhone since 2011. I had a PC desktop model that I purchased in 2006. The motherboard went in 2013 and because of cost concerns, I bought a PC laptop in 2013. 6 months later, the keyboard didn’t work enough for me to enter my password. Some keys worked and some didn’t. I took it to the Geek Squad as I had a 1 year warranty (had to buy when I got the laptop as it only had a 90 day warranty if I recall correctly.). The laptop got shipped to KY for repairs. Being that Winter 2013 was the winter of all those snowstorms, it took 4 weeks to get my laptop back and I had to go pick it up at the carrier’s – it wasn’t delivered to my door.
In July 2015, my normal Windows Updates window came up and asked if I wanted to “Update and restart” or “update and shut down.” Since it was late and I was leaving for vacation the next morning, I selected “update and shut down.” The next morning, I unplugged the laptop, put it in my case, and off I went on a road trip to PA with my sister. This was a e full Fay drive so when we stopped for the night at a hotel, I took in my laptop to email my family as to our progress. Sad to say the screen had a message directing me back to a looping message saying the update hadn’t been done. Since I had my work laptop with me, I googled the issue when we arrived at our destination the next evening. It appears there was a big issue with this update and the only way to overcome it was to inser your operating system disk (Which are no longer available to PC customers or to create a boot disk. How do you do that with an inoperable laptop?
I got home 2 weeks later, unpacked, then went to the Apple Store (35 miles from my house) and bought a 21 inch iMac. 4 months later, I bought an iPad Pro 12 inch. So I am the owner of 3 Apple devices. My sister has all three as well. My daughter has a MacBook and an iPhone. My niece has an iMac, MacBook, and iPhone. All of us live in Florida. Out of state, I have a brother who uses an iphone as does his wife. He also has an iMac. His son has an android tablet and phone. My other brother and sister’s families are all on Android/PC’s. My friends are split like 50/50 iPhone/Android.
Many times I am on the iPad or iMac and get into a conversation with an Apple user. We want to expand that conversation to the other family and friends on Android but cannot use iMessage where the conversation began. Why can’t Apple allow Android to receive iMessages at least as texts?
Sorry for being so long winded but want you to realize I have recently invested heavily in Apple devices and would like to see this happen.
iMessage being ported to Android would help it to compete with other messaging services like Facebook Messenger. Many of my iPhone-using friends have taken to having most of their group chats on Facebook. It’s just convenient, and as I and many of my friends are Android users, we all use Fb Messenger as well. So if anything, I would think that not having cross-platform compatibility takes away from Apple’s service base. There is no point in trying to convince yourself that Android users don’t exist, as the GS7 is currently the most popular phone in the USA. Apple isn’t what they used to be, the innovation simply isn’t coming. Where they can compete (and I think this is proved by Apple Music) is in services. I had two iPods before getting my first Samsung Galaxy and being invested in iTunes was a tough thing to overcome. But I knew that I likely wouldn’t use iOS again, so I got over iTunes. But I cannot deny that Apple has great services, and I am a happy Apple Music subscriber which I access mainly from my Galaxy S6.