Interfacing with imessage

[hannsoft]

Does anybody know of an Android app that can tap into the Imessage interface and participate in Imessage group chats (if that's what they're called) along with iPhone users? My son is diehard Android but all of his college friends are iPhone users so he misses out on these conversations where plans are made, etc. I'm hoping there's something he can use from his Pixel that let's him be a part of these conversations.

Thanks in advance for any info!

 

[hallux]

The only way is to use the weMessage setup. This is effectively a forwarding setup from a Mac, that Mac needs to be left on all the time. Otherwise - they'll need to agree on a 3rd-party solution so he can stay in the loop.

 

[hannsoft]

The only way is to use the weMessage setup. This is effectively a forwarding setup from a Mac, that Mac needs to be left on all the time. Otherwise - they'll need to agree on a 3rd-party solution so he can stay in the loop.

Ugh. A Mac is no more available in this house than an iPhone. He's doomed.

Thanks!

 

[lparsons21]

iMessage is what I use on my iPhone and have quite a few group chats with a mix of other iMessage and Android users. iMessage will use sms for those in the chat that aren’t on iOS.

 

[hannsoft]

iMessage is what I use on my iPhone and have quite a few group chats with a mix of other iMessage and Android users. iMessage will use sms for those in the chat that aren’t on iOS.

Do you mean to say that if his number is manually add to the chat by the iPhone users then he'll be a part of the chats?

 

[hallux]

Do you mean to say that if his number is manually add to the chat by the iPhone users then he'll be a part of the chats?

No, the chat has to be created from the beginning to include him, otherwise it would be a full-on iMessage chat rather than a group SMS.

I should add that some people are SO "snobbish" about iMessage that they would probably leave someone out if only one person forces SMS rather than a "natural" iMessage discussion. Yeah, it's that bad, and those people honestly aren't worth associating with IMO.

 

[lparsons21]

Yeah, I forgot that an Android user needs to be in the start of the chat.

Note snarky comment noted and ignored

 

[hannsoft]

No, the chat has to be created from the beginning to include him, otherwise it would be a full-on iMessage chat rather than a group SMS.

I should add that some people are SO "snobbish" about iMessage that they would probably leave someone out if only one person forces SMS rather than a "natural" iMessage discussion. Yeah, it's that bad, and those people honestly aren't worth associating with IMO.

I worried about that aspect being possible too.

 

[Rukbat]

I should add that some people are SO "snobbish" about iMessage that they would probably leave someone out if only one person forces SMS rather than a "natural" iMessage discussion.

Natural is SMS (or, more and more, RCS). iMessage is abnormal - it's an iPhone-only thing.

When they have to do (and all of them have to do it, each one individually) is send him an iMessage marked as an SMS message. Then their phones will send him an SMS from then on.

It's not that he's different, it's that Apple is different (and proprietary). It would be a lot simpler for everyone if Apple allowed other manufacturers to use the iMessage protocol. It's not as if an Android phone can't, it's just that any Android developer who developed an Android app that could handle iMessages would get sued by Apple. Since they chose the non-industry-standard way of doing things (iMessage), they have to make the change to include him. There's nothing he can do to receive iMessages on an Android phone. The phone has no way of handling them and just ignores them. (It's like a human being scratching his trunk - if a stupid elephant can do it why can't we? Apple is the elephant.)