Should Apple Make an Android iMessage App?

Writing for Macworld, Jared Newman thinks it’s high time for Apple to make an Android iMessage app. Pundits have been calling on Apple for years to do this, but is it the right move?

[iOS: How to Send Links in iMessage Without the Rich Preview]

iMessage for Android

Jared lays out three reasons why Apple should do this:

• It’s good for Apple customers


• It’s good for the Apple brand


• It’s good for Apple’s business

I agree with Jared, and I think Apple should make an iMessage app for Android. It would be good for everyone I think, Apple and Android users included. This would effectively be the death of the green bubble, because Android users would have access to the same group chats, stickers, read receipts, etc.

Left: Android user. Right: iPhone user.

And most importantly, Android users would have the same end-to-end encrypted communication that iPhone users have. That’s where my question comes in. If Apple did this, I wonder if the government would come down harder on Apple when it comes to encryption.

I think iMessage on Android would instantly kill Google’s offerings, because let’s face it, they’re a joke. Google and Android manufacturers probably wouldn’t make iMessage the default app and have it baked into Android. But Android users would quickly download it and make it their default.

With iMessage end-to-end encryption, governments and ISPs could no longer snoop on our messages for advertising purposes or surveillance. And they won’t like that. But we’re in a time now that more and more people are becoming more aware of their privacy, and Apple could come to the rescue with an Android iMessage app.

[Fun with iMessage in iOS 11]

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