Can I do group messages with iPhone users that are iMessages?

[AC Question]

Galaxy Note 4 Group Messages from iPhones

I know this has been asked a lot probably, but I just want to clarify. I was a iPhone user that used iMessage before switching over to the Note 4. Now I know there is a problem with group messages with iPhone users. Now what I want to know is, if I was never a iPhone user, could I do group messages with iPhone users that are iMessages? Is the problem occurring because I use to be an iPhone user and I switched? Or does everyone have this problem? I can group chat with others that have non-apple phones just fine with the stock app. Also, if it's just for the people that went from Apple to Android, is there a way this can be fixed? Thanks.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Galaxy Note 4 Group Messages from iPhones

Android phones can't do iMessages. It's a proprietary Apple protocol and they won't let anyone else use it. (They claim to be working on a fix, but Andromeda will collide with the Milky Way some day too.)

When you leave Apple, you have to take that phone off iMessage while it's still active on the account. (If you didn't, go to a Genius Bar and they'll tell you your options. They can do it for you, but there are a few ways of doing it, resulting in a few different things.) Once you're on Android, everyone on Apple has to send you one iMessage marked as SMS (so their iMessage app knows not to send your number iMessages). That's as good as it's going to get until Apple makes iMessage compatible with the rest of the world.