Question Is there an app that will let me easily view/control my iPhone remotely from Android?

[peanutismint]

I'd love to jump ship from my ageing iPhone 12 to Android (I bought a similarly old Galaxy S10e and even that's faster/better user experience than the iPhone) but there's a bunch of iPhone features I'm not ready to give up (too locked into the dumb Apple walled garden ecosystem of iCloud photos and iMessage blue bubbles!).

With this in mind I'm wondering if I could leave my iPhone at home on charge (connected to wifi) and still remotely access/control it via a simple, quick interface on my Android device if I need to add an iCloud reminder or send something via iMessage etc, kind of like an iPhone within my Android?

Does anything like this exist? I know it probably seems silly, but just wondering if there's a good way to do this? If it's something I need to remotely 'allow' on my iPhone each time then it's not going to work for me; the idea is to leave my phone at home and still have access to it at any given moment as if it were in my pocket.

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums. I feel like your question may be a little facetious because I'm guessing you know there is nothing like what you're asking but I supposed we could talk about it.

First there are many workarounds for people leaving Apple for Android, and vice versa, to help ease the transition but on these two incompatible platforms we all know they share very little one for one. Just as an example, you mention sending iMessages from a phone that is not on your person. Let's consider what might involve. Would you send the low quality SMS/MMS message to the iPhone from the Android, and then have the iPhone send that low quality message out as a low quality iMessage? Or is your concern more about sending people a message that will not be a green bubble?

Usually questions like this, especially ones with so many constraints and conditions, are put out there to reenforce a feeling that is already held. If you cannot live without these things it may be easier for you to stay with Apple because if you leave you will become one of us Geen Bubbles people who only has iTunes for music because we enjoy paying for it. My advice would be to search online for workarounds to the things you want to do, judge how well you think you could live with doing said thing, and then making decisions based on that.

For instance I asked Google how to send iMessages from Android and this is the workaround.

While you can't natively send iMessages from an Android phone, you can use third-party apps like AirMessage or Beeper Mini to get blue bubbles and iMessage functionality on your Android. [1, 2, 3]
Here's a breakdown of options: [1, 2]
1. Using AirMessage: [1, 2]

• Setup:
  
  • Download and install AirMessage on your Mac.
  • Open the app and connect your Google account.
  • Configure your Mac's security and privacy settings to allow AirMessage access.
  • Download and install AirMessage on your Android phone.
  • Log in with the same Google account on your Android phone.
• Functionality:
  
  • Allows you to send and receive iMessages from your Android phone.
  • You can also access the web version of AirMessage to send and receive messages on any computer. [1, 2]

2. Using Beeper Mini: [3]

• Setup:
  
  • Install Beeper Mini on your Android phone.
  • Log in with your Apple ID.
• Functionality:
  
  • Allows you to send and receive blue bubble texts from your phone number.
  • You can also access iMessage features like inline replies and reactions. [3, 4]

3. Other Considerations: [5, 6]

• SMS/MMS: If you're sending messages to non-Apple devices, you'll be using SMS/MMS, which will appear as green bubbles on iPhones. [5, 6]
• RCS: Android phones can also use RCS (Rich Communication Services) for richer messaging features, which can be enabled in Google Messages. [7]
• iMessage is Apple's proprietary messaging system: It's designed to work across Macs, iPhones, and iPads. [8]

This video demonstrates how to use iMessage on Android:

Good luck and best wishes on where you land, Android or Apple.

 

[peanutismint]

Thanks for these suggestions;


I don't really see how my post came across as facetious, but perhaps you didn't quite understand what I was asking. I know there are apps/services out there like what I'm describing (remote access software), I'm just trying to find out if there are any that are easy to use and don't lock features behind a paywall etc. I'm not looking for a magical way to send iMessages via Android or post photos to shared iCloud albums natively, more to access my iPhone's screen VIA my Android device.

I've heard of apps like AirDroid that can allow remote access, I've just never used them on iPhone specifically. , or my question would be better suited to an iOS forum, but I figured there must be other Android users out there who also need quick, wasy access to iOS features without carrying two devices in their pocket.

 

[spARTacus]

There's a few other threads in here that have asked/explored about being able to still control and participate in some iOS features (FindMyFreinds, AppleID family controls, etc). There is some limited ability to have some iOS functions via browser (from an Android device, or even from a Windows/Linux desktop for that matter). However, it seems that route (via browser) is not really workable since it still depends on multi factor authentication back to/with an actual Apple device.

Like others, I don't understand why someone would ever want to have an Android device in replacement to an Apple device while primarily still also wanting to stick to using iCloud reminders and iMessaging, because there are decent alternatives to those iOS features as part of Android. Unfortunately, for some things for folks debating about switching between Apple and Android, it's just a matter of deciding to take the risk/plunge and then give it lots of time to see how it works out.

I am not aware of any "remote desktop/phone" service/app that is available for iOS, which is what I think you're looking for. However, an extensive search through the Apple App Store might reveal something. There is certainly remote desktop apps that can be loaded on phones/tablets, for accessing desktops and laptops (for example). And, I have also wondered why those don't exist for phones and have even in the past (many years ago) searched for such, with no luck.

 

[peanutismint]

Thanks, I agree with what you said about accessing iCloud via browser not being an appropriate long-term solution, for multiple reasons (authentication, but also the clunky nature of accessing features via browser).

To help you understand why people might want to have an Android device in replacement to an Apple device while primarily still also wanting to stick to using iCloud reminders and iMessaging, in my case it's because I am already ensconced in a tight-knit family unit who all use iOS devices and have made things like iMessage, iCloud, shared photo albums and collaboratory lists/documents a big part of their everyday life, so for me trying to escape that to a different system is almost impossible (and not made any easier by Google/Apple - mainly the latter - with their walled gardens).

I'll look into the likes of AnyDesk/TeamViewer/AirDroid to see if any of those would allow the remote access I'm picturing but thanks for attempting to help.

 

[spARTacus]

Another poster in here not that long ago had some similar reasons in a different thread. In terms of iMessaging, unfortunately your other family members would need to accept that messages from you aren't going to be iMessages anymore. With richer than SMS features now possible via RCS interoperability between iOS and Android (ok everyone else, no laughing or poking about the still to come end to end encryption solution between iOS and Android), there really isn't any reason for folks to demand you use iMessaging, in my opinion, other than for their wants/comfort. The dependency on iCloud for photo sharing and such is just that, something that Apple I'm sure specifically wants its users to stay tied to and hard to leave. It would be a much better world in the long run, in my opinion, if we all taught our kids from early on to avoid getting used to only proprietary services. I myself have Android and the rest of my immediate family is Apple. I don't really hear about it much anymore, that I'm not with them on Apple (I did however hear it a lot in earlier years and when I was still on BlackBerry).

 

[peanutismint]

Right, everything you say made sense, but it's still frustrating (and somewhat surprising from the Android side, honestly) that there's not a way around this, even in the admittedly 'janky' method I'm describing of opening up my iOS device to remote access/control and just leaving it plugged in at home. I can understand iOS not allowing apps that would control other things, but surprised that Android couldn't access anything it damn well pleased, what with the more active modding scene compared to iOS.

I know there was an attempt at getting native iMessage on Android (Beeper) that got shut down pretty quick, which is unfortunate.

 

[B. Diddy]

I would say that Android can only do so much when it comes to iOS, because Apple's MO is to lock things down like it's Fort Knox.

 

[peanutismint]

I agree!

 

[spARTacus]

...but it's still frustrating (and somewhat surprising from the Android side, honestly) that there's not a way around this...but surprised that Android couldn't access anything it damn well pleased, what with the more active modding scene compared to iOS...

Yeah it's got nothing to do with what Android developers would like to do, but everything to do with what Apple does not permit iOS developers to do (since the serving component of what you are talking about would need to exist on the Apple device).

 

[peanutismint]

Yeah I guess you're right, it is that way around. However I am surprised there's not even a way to remote into an iPhone to easily access some of its apps/features like I can on my Mac. New MacOS has iPhone screen sharing (something I'm sure they 'invented' despite Android having it for years....!) so maybe there's a way in using that if I remote into my Mac at home with my iPhone connected. Or maybe I'll just give up this crazy dream.

 

[spARTacus]

Quite a while back, some folks had figured out how to fake out Apple servers and pretend to be Apple devices, and then offer up a service based on that. For an average Joe to make use of the service, one had to basically permit some servers in China to have access to one's AppleID account/credentials. Beeper I think achieved its functionality almost in the same way, by basically faking out Apple servers into thinking the exchanges were coming from a Mac, depending on the cross functions that are allowed between iPhone and Mac. From what I think I remember, Apple and Beeper basically played cat and mouse together for a while, Apple making slight changes to their protocols to break Beeper and then Beeper having to figure out how to refake things under the new arrangement to make Beeper work again, then Apple making some slight changes again to break Beeper, repeat, etc. I lost track of where it ended up and if Beeper is still around/working.

I guess in theory there might be some folks around that are currently able to fake out Apple servers. If those folks exist, they don't seem to be announcing much about what they can do or any service around it.

 

[peanutismint]

Yeah, I heard Beeper was basically just utilising server farm racks full of Mac Minis, possibly also virtualisation to run multiple instances of MacOS per machine, one per user....!

Aside from the security risks of operating like that, I do actually have a Mac Mini at home that I leave on 24/7 as a Plex server so I wondered if there was any 'roll your own' solution to run some kind of relay server for my Android device to send iMessages via my Mac, but again it just seems nobody cares enough to keep breaking through Apple's roadblocks to achieve something like this. Maybe the true answer is to just slowly wean my family off dependence on iCloud services....

 

[spARTacus]

I'd say that in theory, you definitely could make use of something with or on your Mac, for your idea. For example, can you remote desktop into your Mac? I'm not an Apple user so I can't really comment more from that perspective. Some other users here in AC might have more to offer. Otherwise, unless you're a developer or can piece something together yourself, you might not have any luck. You might want to do a whole bunch of googling to see what you can find. There might even be other threads here in AC that are partially related. I'm pretty sure there's been lots of developers that have thought about the same, and probably a bunch that have tried, and maybe some that have succeeded. Maybe if you're lucky, there's one of them here in AC who will see this thread.