Current state of modern android OS vs iMessage...

[KillerQ]

Ok,

We all know that iMessage is a hook that keeps many people stuck in the iPhone, even those who vocally despise the phone itself.

That being said, what are your arguments against iMessage and why modern messaging on a modern Android OS (a Pixel 2 for example) is just as good?

There’s always WhatsApp, etc, but I’m thinking strictly google messaging...

Thanks!

 

[dov1978]

I'd love to know how people are going to against iMessage. It's pretty perfect as a complete messaging app. That's the biggest thing I miss from my iPhones. I use WhatsApp 99% of the time on Android when I'd barely ever use it on iPhone thanks to having instant messaging AND sms without even having to think about which I'm sending. I especially miss the way it sends and receives full resolution photos and doesn't compress the life out of them like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger etc. I just wish Google would come up with a very close alternative or just throw money at Apple to bring the app to the PlayStore beside Apple Music instead of all the time and money they've wasted on Hangouts and Allo that don't even come close

 

[chanchan05]

There's nothing inherently special about iMessage. It's basically the same thing as setting Facebook Messenger as your default SMS app on Android. What seems special about it is that it's built in and you don't have to download anything for it.

On the Android side, Google seems to not be interested in merging data messaging and sms into one app. Allo and Messages are still very separate entities. Hangouts I'm not sure if it's still actually going forward, but that's the closest thing to iMessage in being built in and works like it.

Samsung phones have an Enhanced Messaging option that works like iMessage, but carriers like Verizon disabled it to make you use their own messaging app.

 

[TwitchyPuppy]

There’s RCS (?), if supported by your carrier, using Android Messages. It works pretty much like iMessage (even when you have no cellular service but you’re connected to a WiFi network).

 

[phonejunky]

I remember when Allo was coming out I was so excited. Because I remembered iMessage and how awesome it was. I saw a poster say iMessage isn’t that great it’s just Facebook messenger lol. That’s a joke. It’s not Facebook messenger. I know me for one don’t have my work associates on my Facebook and never will. I keep my personal life and work like totally separate. With iMessage I don’t have to do that. But anyway. I don’t understand why Google just didn’t keep improving hangouts like Apple did iMessage. It was s great service and was capable of being iMessages competitor easily. That never made sense to me.

 

[chanchan05]

I remember when Allo was coming out I was so excited. Because I remembered iMessage and how awesome it was. I saw a poster say iMessage isn’t that great it’s just Facebook messenger lol. That’s a joke. It’s not Facebook messenger. I know me for one don’t have my work associates on my Facebook and never will. I keep my personal life and work like totally separate. With iMessage I don’t have to do that. But anyway. I don’t understand why Google just didn’t keep improving hangouts like Apple did iMessage. It was s great service and was capable of being iMessages competitor easily. That never made sense to me.

I meant the way iMessage works is just the same as Facebook Messenger when set as the SMS app. There's no difference. The only thing special about iMessage is that it's built into the system. No need for any additional download or signup. You get it as a built in feature of the phone. But in terms of how it works, FB messenger and iMessage is the same.

 

[gibsonb2]

They work the same (as in receipts, emojis/stickers), but iMessage allows sending full resolution images and videos to other iMessage users among other proprietary things. The full resolution images/videos are what I miss when I'm using my Pixel.

 

[Rodawg71]

They work the same (as in receipts, emojis/stickers), but iMessage allows sending full resolution images and videos to other iMessage users among other proprietary things. The full resolution images/videos are what I miss when I'm using my Pixel.

... This

 

[chanchan05]

... This

That's a server side decision. But in the end they accomplish the sme thing and work exactly the same way except for Facebook's decision to decrease data usage.

And we all can agree that Google is lazy for refusing to address this, and carriers suck when Samsung decided to implement it but they disabled Samsung's implementation.