There has been a longstanding divide between blue bubbles and green bubbles. While that may sound esoteric, iMessage users and those beyond Apple’s fenced gates will be more than familiar with the reference. But apparently, one Android phone maker is looking to bridge the gap in a surprisingly new way.
As tech enthusiasts know well, Apple makes a point of keeping guard over its closed ecosystem, creating a seamless sense of integration between its own devices while locking competitors out. That exclusionary approach to developing apps and features naturally extends to its popular iMessage chat platform, which locks a host of features from Android users beyond regular chat and basic media sharing functionality.
Nothing claims to bring full iMessage functionality to Android.
To drive the point home, those who aren’t members of Club Apple are even demarcated with a green chat bubble, instead of the usual blue one used by iOS devices.
But that may be set to change, with British consumer technology start-up Nothing apparently veering on the cusp of introducing a brand-new app that claims to offer full access to iMessage features on their Android devices, dubbed ‘Nothing Chat’. According to insider sources, the app will be released sometime on Friday.
How does it work, you ask? Well predictably, this roundabout way of accessing full iMessage functionality on an Android phone is rather tricky and requires users to log into the app using their Apple ID. Their information will then be fed through a remote Apple Mac Mini relay, granting the Nothing Phone (2) the required permissions to access iMessage as though it were done on an iPhone.
Co-developed by a company known as Sunbird, which has previously made similar claims of introducing the capability for Android phones, detailed specifics on how exactly the app is expected to work have yet to be revealed to the press. That said, the developers have reassured users that their messages sent on the app will remain encrypted end-to-end, with personal details being destroyed at every login to ensure privacy.
At this point, chats sent using iMessage on the Nothing Chat app will appear as though they were sent from an email as it is not yet possible to link one’s phone number to the app. To avoid that issue, your recipient would have to first include your Apple ID email to your contact card.
There has been no word as to whether Apple will be looking to shut the service down for now.
Feature and hero image credits: Nothing/Instagram
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Written by
Benjamin Wong
Senior Editor, Fashion and Dining
Armed with an Advertising major from Lancaster University, Benjamin is a senior editor who has spent his time oscillating between the social media and digital media landscape since 2018. With a keen interest in haute fashion and gastronomy, he has written for publications such as ERROR Digital, WORLD OF BUZZ, and KL Foodie. Beyond the keyboard, you can find him arms-deep in a thrift pile.
