If iMessage was available on Android, would you use it? Why or why not?

[Jeramy Johnson]

With the recent reports confirming Apple had discussions to bring iMessage to Android as far back as 2013, it got me wondering how things might have been different. Jerry even wrote an interesting opinion piece on it, claiming it was Facebook who benefitted most from this decision. https://www.androidcentral.com/imagining-world-where-imessage-came-android

 

[j_grouchy]

Yeah ..it would be one way to stop hearing everyone else in my family so complaining about having trouble texting me.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

It's superior to regular texting and nearly half the US has an iPhone, I can't say for 100% certainty but I probably would have been using it for years at this point if available.

 

[B. Diddy]

I would think that if iMessage were available for Android, then either Google or some other wiz kid dev would've figured out how to incorporate it into a messaging hub (kind of like how Hangouts used to be able to incorporate SMS/MMS). So that's how I probably would've used it.

 

[Zeus Legion]

This assumes I know the difference as to why I should. Is it better in some way? Is it just more emojis? Are those blue bubbles you mention exclusive and wondrous? I have no frame of reference since I've used only Android apps.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

This assumes I know the difference as to why I should. Is it better in some way? Is it just more emojis? Are those blue bubbles you mention exclusive and wondrous? I have no frame of reference since I've used only Android apps.

Imessage isn't regular texting and uses data features so it's had a lot of advantages for years. It syncs between all Apple products so you can seamlessly communicate between devices. Allows much higher quality photo/video sharing. Shows when your messages are read.

Basically a lot of advantages platforms like Facebook messenger or hangouts have over texting iMessage also has.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

iMessage also has screen effects and app integration for those that use those stuff. But a lot of messengers like Signal and Telegram also have a lot of the iMessage features and are cross platform.

 

[BerryBubbles]

There are only 3 of my family members that are on android phones. Everyone else are iPhone users. (And for the record, they are not very advanced users.) So I would definitely use it. I get tired of receiving videos & wondering what they were about. So grainy.

I do not care for that feature where the individual 'likes' a comment & it quotes the whole message. But even without iMessage, I'm still stuck receiving those responses.

 

[Morty2264]

Yes, absolutely. My husband's entire family uses iMessage except for about four of us - so I would certainly use it to keep in touch with my in-laws. Also, my brother has an iPhone and goes back and forth to the States so I'd use it to message him too. I'd use it in a heartbeat!

Great thread - thank you so much for posting!

 

[VidJunky]

Considering that it is by far it has to be the touted feature that iPhone users say they can't do without, I would definitely consider trying it. Personally, and this is without ever having tried it, I can't see what the big deal is but that is also something that iPhone users say is that, you won't understand until you use it.

Try it, of course.

Stick with it and be like them, ehh. It would really have to be transformational.

 

[kjharrison]

I would give it a try just to see what all the hoopla is about, but I doubt I would care too much.

 

[spARTacus]

I'd have to use it because so many iPhone users in my circles are somewhat ignorant to the fact that there are other ways to be interoperable for short messaging.

It's not really much better than other "data messaging apps/methods for short messaging".

The only thing it really has going for it is the fact that it has locked in so many users (that don't think they can use anything else) that it therefore has a huge critical mass base.

 

[j higgins]

I might install it and see what the big deal is. I am really happy with what I have now.

 

[DigbyTheDog]

I gave the iPhone (and iMessage) a try this past year using it for about 10 months. I didn't understand why iMessage was so important, and I still don't. I know lots of people who have iPhones and use iMessage but I've never had a problem texting them while I was using an Android phone and I didn't have trouble texting Android users while I was using an iPhone. The only thing I liked that wasn't on my Pixel phone was the dots saying someone is replying. But now Google's Messages app has that. So now that I'm back on Android, I'm seeing it when I "chat" with Android users but not with iPhone users instead of the other way around. I moved my dad to an iPhone and an iPad so he can text and receive phone calls from his iPad, which is really handy for him as he finds it hard to text on a small screen. (he has Parkinson's) But now that I'm back on my Pixel phone (just switched back this last week) , I'm looking forward to texting from my Chromebook and/or my Windows laptop through the Messages for Web feature again. So, while being a blue bubble was fun, after 10 months, I'm still not sure why iMessage is supposedly better.

 

[ManiacJoe]

The two big advantages of iMessage over SMS/MMS:
- No limit (huge limit?) on the number of recipients in the conversation.
- Apple eats the cost of the high res pictures and high res videos attached to the messages.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Considering that it is by far it has to be the touted feature that iPhone users say they can't do without, I would definitely consider trying it. Personally, and this is without ever having tried it, I can't see what the big deal is but that is also something that iPhone users say is that, you won't understand until you use it.

Try it, of course.

Stick with it and be like them, ehh. It would really have to be transformational.

It is good but not much better than other messaging apps. Yeah you can connect apps to it, like photos and bitmoji but you can use them with messaging apps like signal and WhatsApp as well. Full screen effects are fun, but only get used once in a while. I would not stay on ios for imessage.

 

[spARTacus]

...big advantages of iMessage over SMS/MMS:...- Apple eats the cost of the high res pictures and high res videos attached to the messages.

I don't think that is true. I am pretty sure your Apple device is using up your data to send those. In fact, on some carrier plans I am aware of where unlimited SMS/text/MMS messages are included, I think it's the exact opposite in terms of no added cost to the user to send SMS/text/MMS messages, but consumption against data plan for sending iMessages.

 

[Morty2264]

The two big advantages of iMessage over SMS/MMS:
- No limit (huge limit?) on the number of recipients in the conversation.
- Apple eats the cost of the high res pictures and high res videos attached to the messages.

Group messages on Android are so complicated. And whenever an iPhone user tries to lump me in a group message, they all come in at different times or in different order.

 

[spARTacus]

Group messages on Android are so complicated. And whenever an iPhone user tries to lump me in a group message, they all come in at different times or in different order.

Perhaps due to the way Apple sends them. I am sure they are not interested in helping to make the experience on the Android receiving side better, but they are very interested in the Apple to Apple experience being smooth.

 

[ManiacJoe]

I don't think that is true. I am pretty sure your Apple device is using up your data to send those. In fact, on some carrier plans I am aware of where unlimited SMS/text/MMS messages are included, I think it's the exact opposite in terms of no added cost to the user to send SMS/text/MMS messages, but consumption against data plan for sending iMessages.

The "no limit" on SMS/MMS messages is on the number of messages per month. The data size of the messages is very much limited, at least in the USA, usually capped at 1 MB if even that high.

The sending of the large data amounts to apple's iMessage servers from your phone is easily covered by the costs of your monthly data plan. The huge costs of sending the large amounts of data from the servers to the individual phones is paid for by Apple with no limits to the data size.

WhatsApp and other instant messaging services pay the same costs to send files to the individual phones. However, they try to limit the expenses by limiting the size of the files you can upload.