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Apple Explains Why iMessage Isn't Coming To Android (networkworld.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Network World: Ahead of Apple's WWDC keynote this year, one of the more bizarre and sketchy rumors we saw take shape claimed that Apple was planning to deliver iMessage to Android. As is typically the case, the rumor mill took this somewhat ridiculous rumor and ran with it. The only problem is that some people were so busy trying to figure out the ramifications of iMessage hitting Android that they didn't take a step back and try and figure out if this is something Apple would even contemplate in the first place. Remember, every move Apple makes is strategic and geared towards making more money, either via device sales or software. That being the case, iMessage on Android would not only be a free app, but it would also eliminate a user-experience advantage of iOS. Interestingly enough, Walt Mossberg of The Verge asked a senior Apple executive about the rumor whereupon the nameless executive all but indicated that iMessage will never be coming to Android. Walt Mossberg writes: "First, he said, Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on. And, second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those device -- the company's classic (and successful) rationale for years."

101 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1, Insightful

    My experience has been that iOS users who have friends with non-iOS devices tend to migrate away from iMessage after a while, in favor of something they can talk to all of their friends on. This seems to happen faster when one or more of their friends has a mix of iOS and Android devices coupled with one or more non-Mac computers, as iMessage becomes an unreliable[1] means of communicating with them relative to, well, practically anything else.

    [1] Are they near their iPad? Did they see my message? Maybe I should just Skype them. Why did I bother with iMessage in the first place when it's only on one of the four devices they could be currently checking?

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    1. Re:Huh... by Maestro485 · · Score: 2, Informative

      iMessage just sends regular text messages to non-Apple things. I've never had an issue with texting people with Android phones from my iPhone.

    2. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Insightful
      You can send a regular text message to a PC or an Android tablet?

      a mix of iOS and Android devices coupled with one or more non-Mac computers

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    3. Re:Huh... by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      The problem lies with those with a mix. For them you just configure an iMessage contact for their phone, whatever device it might be, and the rest can be a different contact. Not really a problem after all.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    4. Re:Huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      iMessage is on the devices of everyone I need to communicate with. The rest can text me. Or call. Or email. Or send a letter. If they want. I don't care.

    5. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      It's a failing of iMessage since it shouldn't require a cellular radio, or a particular OS, to work. All these devices have Internet access and are more than powerful enough for instant messaging.

    6. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You are suggesting it's Apple's fault that PCs and Android tablets do not have cellular radios?

      No, merely pointing out that iMessage being able to send SMS messages does not fit the cross-platform communication scenario I mentioned in my original post.

      Further, all Apple computers lack cellular radios, some PCs and Android tablets do include cellular radios, just as some iPads do. Much like an iPad, as they are data devices that do not connect to the voice network over which SMS are sent, those PCs and Android devices can not receive SMS.

      In what way is this a failing of iMessage?

      In comparison to something like Skype, or even AIM, it's a massive failing in that you are limited by the platform itself in who you can communicate with, and how; some people you may want to message can't even install an app to allow you to do so.

      As I said:

      My experience has been

      That's first hand experience, not just a guess. Back when my primary machine was a Mac and my secondary was an iPad, a lot of my friends used to chat with me via iMessage. As I had an Android phone and that's what was always with me, even if I wasn't at my Mac or iPad, they began getting frustrated when they'd send me a message via iMessage and I wouldn't get it for hours. Mind you, they weren't frustrated with me and didn't avoid chatting with me because of it; instead, they unilaterally switched to using Skype. Even when communicating with each other, even when all parties in a given conversation used only Apple devices.

      My experience may or may not be typical, but it is my experience. My entire group of friends, many of whom use only apple products, have abandoned iMessage; many of their friends who are not in my circle have done the same, and I'm sure it's cascaded from there.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    7. Re:Huh... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      No one can send a regular text message to a non-cellular iPad or an iPod Touch.

    8. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 2

      Wrong, PCs and Android tablet with cellular radio can send/receive SMS just fine.

    9. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      That's why messaging protocols worth using don't rely on SMS at all.

    10. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Some do, actually, as do some iPads. None of them can receive SMS. At least, my iPad Pro 9.7" can't on the T-Mobile network.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    11. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Can you provide an example of at least one that actually can? I've never seen it, despite having looked some years ago when SMS was all the rage.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    12. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      You can iMessage my PC and Android tablet?

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    13. Re: Huh... by slazzy · · Score: 1

      Most apple tablets (iPads) don't have cellular radios either. Most of the time tablet users are on wifi anyway, and messaging should work regardless of network or device vendor.

      --
      Website Just Down For Me? Find out
    14. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      I've used a few USB-cellular adapters. They all came with their proprietary software to connect and send/receive SMS.
      I think all cellular tablets can send/receive SMS. If tablets can't, it's only a software issue, it's not because of a technical limitation. Maybe your carrier is blocking SMS on tablets but again, there is no technical reason to do so.

    15. Re:Huh... by macs4all · · Score: 1

      iMessage just sends regular text messages to non-Apple things. I've never had an issue with texting people with Android phones from my iPhone.

      Exactly.

      Other than the color of the text bubbles, there's really no difference between messages between iMessage users and IMessage SMS/MMS users.

    16. Re:Huh... by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Quoth the AC immediately preceding you,

      If your friends won't talk to you unless you have an iOS device, you don't have any friends.

      Seems oddly appropriate, somehow.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    17. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      And iPads? Since, you know, that's what was insinuated in the post I was replying to. Mine sure cant.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    18. Re:Huh... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      "You can send a regular text message to a PC or an Android tablet?"

      Yes. In fact, iMessage tells you via a blue message background if it's using the Internet to pass the message to another Apple device, or a green background if it had to fall back to SMS to send the message to an infidel device.

    19. Re:Huh... by milton.john · · Score: 1

      If you have iphone around, then yes, it can.

    20. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Still waiting for someone to show me a PC or Android tablet that can receive SMS. Or an iPad, for that matter.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    21. Re:Huh... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      Edit: The target must be a device with a cellular connection, though.

    22. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Interesting. As for tablets? Or something in wide enough use to be relevant in a discussion of iMessage versus cross-platform messaging options?

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    23. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Like a PC, for example?

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    24. Re:Huh... by Curtman · · Score: 1

      It's pretty much exactly the same thing as using Google Hangouts on Android, which can also be installed on OSX, iOS, in a browser, etc..

      My personal phone is Android, work phone is iOS, personal laptop is a Macbook, work laptop is a PC. Hangouts works everywhere, and so I actively encourage friends and coworkers to use something that isn't vendor locked.

      That's why it is a failing of iMessage. It's a pain in the ass having contacts who still use it.

    25. Re:Huh... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You can send a regular text message to a PC or an Android tablet?

      You can send one to my google voice, and it will show up in the sidebar of G+, or in hangouts.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    26. Re:Huh... by ourlovecanlastforeve · · Score: 1

      Lets not mince words here.

      A large part of Apple's customer demographic doesn't talk to people who own other devices because those other devices belong to poor people. To them Android users are poor people.

      The reason Apple's not bringing iMessage to Android is that the other portion of Apple's user demographic would then have no reason to own an iPhone and they'd lose a third of their sales.

    27. Re:Huh... by unimacs · · Score: 1

      Are you thinking of FaceTime? That's the closest Apple equivalent to Skype, not iMessage.

      Anyway this can get a little confusing. iPads, iPhones, and Macs all have a "Messages" app that can use iMessage as a protocol to communicate with other Apple devices. Messages on OS X can also use Yahoo, AOL, or Google messaging accounts. Messages on an iPhone can use SMS to send messages in addition to iMessage.

      So you could always text somebody on an Android phone from an iPhone using the messages app. If somebody with an iPhone wasn't able to text you on your android phone it could be because that in their contacts they had an email address or something associated with an iCloud account you had and Messages was using that to send the message rather than your phone number.

      In the past, someone trying to send an IM to your android phone using messages on OS X wouldn't work. But then a couple of years ago, Apple added a new feature called "SMS relay" to the iPhone that lets it forward messages from OS X over SMS to people on non Apple devices. The catch is that the iPhone has to be on the same wifi network as the mac for that to work.

    28. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      That's not quite the same... In the end, it may serve the same purpose but, then, can you do that from a Mac or iPad if you're not also an iPhone user? Last time I checked, the SMS gateway feature was only available on the iPhone; at least, it doesn't work for me on my Mac or iPad as an Android user. It works for my wife, but then she's an iPhone user. Also, can you reply to and participate in group chats that way?

      It's not functionally equivalent as, say, Skype would be.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    29. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      I won't even attempt to disagree with this. What you just said essentially boils down to "A large part of Apple's customer demographic are ignorant and have hugely inflated egos. The rest recognize that the only real feature of iOS is that it allows them to talk to the first group." My only question, then, is: Why i nthe world would the latter group want to associate with the former?

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    30. Re:Huh... by unimacs · · Score: 2

      How is GOOGLE Hangouts not vendor locked? Besides I'd change "Hangouts works everywhere" to "Hangouts works every now and then". We've had a weekly meeting with remote developers for months now and have gone back to just using a speakerphone because of all the issues we had with hangouts.

    31. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Are you thinking of FaceTime? That's the closest Apple equivalent to Skype, not iMessage.

      No, I'm thinking of iMessage, a text messaging and file transfer app. Skype also does what FaceTime does, but that does not diminish the text messaging and file transfer functions. Skype also does voice-only calls, something FaceTime and iMessage both lack, or at least lacked last time I checked. But, again, that doesn't diminish Skype's text messaging and file transfer functions. I also mentioned (gag) AIM, but you ignored that for some reason.

      So you could always text somebody on an Android phone from an iPhone using the messages app.

      And if they're in front of, say, a PC or Android tablet instead of their phone? If you want to ensure they get the message, you have to send it over IMessage *and* whatever other platform they use (most likely Skype or AIM). Or, you could skip iMessage and just send it on the other platform, which they'll likely have installed on their PC, tablet, and phone, so they'll get it wherever they are without you having to send it twice.

      That's precisely the scenario I talked about in my initial post, and it's precisely why my die-hard Apple friends have abandoned iMessage (and Messages on their Macs and iPads) as unreliable.

      If somebody with an iPhone wasn't able to text you on your android phone it could be because that in their contacts they had an email address or something associated with an iCloud account you had and Messages was using that to send the message rather than your phone number.

      If you think that's the problem I was talking about, you grossly misunderstand what I wrote. Hopefully the explanation above will clarify that; if not, please go read my initial post again.

      In the past, someone trying to send an IM to your android phone using messages on OS X wouldn't work. But then a couple of years ago, Apple added a new feature called "SMS relay" to the iPhone that lets it forward messages from OS X over SMS to people on non Apple devices. The catch is that the iPhone has to be on the same wifi network as the mac for that to work.

      So, from my MacBook Pro, it actually still doesn't work, as I'm an Android user. Yes, though, this feature does seem to work well enough for my wife.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    32. Re:Huh... by Bongo · · Score: 1

      I have just one friend in the world, and he sends me messages on like, four different systems. It used to be simpler when he just had an iPhone.
      Now it seems he can't even agree with himself what to use.

    33. Re:Huh... by unimacs · · Score: 2

      And if they're in front of, say, a PC or Android tablet instead of their phone? If you want to ensure they get the message, you have to send it over IMessage *and* whatever other platform they use (most likely Skype or AIM). Or, you could skip iMessage and just send it on the other platform, which they'll likely have installed on their PC, tablet, and phone, so they'll get it wherever they are without you having to send it twice. That's precisely the scenario I talked about in my initial post, and it's precisely why my die-hard Apple friends have abandoned iMessage (and Messages on their Macs and iPads) as unreliable.

      That's the real problem though isn't it? If I'm going to send a message to somebody, I have no idea what device they're in front of, or if they're near any device at all. I'll use the messages app either on my phone or on my Mac and that message will get to them on their phone (at least) whether it's an iPhone or not. I'm not going to send two messages because SMS is the least (or may be better said "most") common denominator. I'm certainly not going to use Skype unless I know for a fact that they do. Other friends or associates might prefer hangouts. Some of them may have Skype installed on all their devices while others may not. Frankly, I don't want to keep track of that.

      Your friends may use something instead of the messages app on their iPhone for long group chats when they know what everyone else is using, but I doubt they've abandoned it for all texting.

      Right now there is no universal protocol for messaging, but most people have a phone which is capable of sending and receiving SMS/MMS messages. That is your safest bet, or you could, you know... call them.

      And to be clear, one doesn't explicitly choose to use iMessage or not. The built in messaging apps will use iMessage to communicate with other apple devices when they can, but will use something else when they can't. Instead of creating an iMessage for Android, Apple could simply allow the messages app on the iPhone to use an AIM, Yahoo, or Google account like the Messages app on the Mac does. But again, none of of those are universal.

    34. Re:Huh... by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      That must be why I've never, ever heard of iMessage before.
       
      Why would I want another text messaging app?

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    35. Re: Huh... by joh · · Score: 1, Informative

      iMessage doesnt require a cellular radio.

    36. Re:Huh... by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      This controversy is about proposals to extend messaging seamlessly to such devices using the Internet, as is done for non-cellular Apple devices.

    37. Re:Huh... by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Yep, jabber works just fine.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    38. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      It must be a software issue. There is no technical reason why a cellular iPad can't receive SMS.

    39. Re: Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      It requires a cellular radio for the fallback to SMS mode. And without this mode, it is pretty useless has it only allows you to contact other people with Apple products, which is a small minority of people.

    40. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Don't tell me, tell maestro485, who originally suggested that as Apple's solution; or tell yourself, as you supported his explanation.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    41. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      When did that change? iMessage on iOS is iMessage and SMS only.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    42. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      Google Hangouts is a lot less vendor locked because

      1. it works on all platforms, so no hardware vendor lock-in.
      2. last time I checked, it worked with 3rd party clients, if it's still the case, it means no software vendor lock-in.
      3, i've heard they disabled XMPP federation, which means it's now only network vendor locked-in

      Apple iMessage is locked-in for all 3 criteria

    43. Re:Huh... by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Oh, on iOS? I missed that detail. Messages on OSX integrates with jabber etc. On the phone, yeah, you're correct. iMessage and SMS only. I need to drink caffeine BEFORE posting.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    44. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      No worries, I totally get the lack of caffeine. If you ever see me post something completely idiotic, it was probably posted on a weekday before 9AM PST, which is when I usually make a dent in my first cup. Pretty obvious detail, though, since it's iMessage on iOS and Messages (which utilizes iMessage and other protocols) on OS X.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    45. Re: Huh... by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      Agreed. The GP clearly got into the brown acid.

    46. Re:Huh... by lindseyp · · Score: 1

      It's because most SIM cards supplied for use with iPads are data-only. SMS is not sent over a data connection. You need SMS explicitly enabled, which would normally be done only with a 'minutes+sms' package.

      https://support.apple.com/en-u...

      --
      j'ai découvert une démonstration vraiment admirable (de ce théorème général) que cette si
    47. Re:Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      There is no such thing as a data-only SIM. There are data-only plans. At this point, it's a billing issue, not a technical issue.
      The same SIM card in your iPad could work in a cell phone or and Android tablet and be used to send/receive SMS. Of course, the carrier is free to block SMS for that account, but again, it has nothing to do with the hardware.

    48. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      I don't know anyone that uses it since all of my iOS-based friends switched to Skype before iOS 7 came out, so I didn't know that.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    49. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Because my point was more that they're not common enough to be relied on for cross-platform communications. Yes, I know they exist, I've just never seen one, despite being heavily involved in tech for over two decades, thus supporting my point.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    50. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      I might even be willing to pay for it, either by paying for the app or by *GASP* paying a monthly fee. Apple's missing out on a revenue stream here; iPhone users aren't sticking with iPhone because of iMessage, they're sticking with iPhone because they like the way it works.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    51. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      I believe he was being neither sarcastic nor douchey. To me, it seemed like he was relaying the mindset of at least a subset of Apple users, and I think he nailed it.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    52. Re:Huh... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      This is where we're heading? Seriously? Fuck, just shoot me now.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    53. Re: Huh... by joh · · Score: 1

      It's a minority, but not a small minority. Also you can use iMessage with SMS fallback on a Mac or an iPad with no cellular connection as long as you also have an iPhone around (iMessage then will use your iPhone to send a SMS from your Mac or iPad).

      One major convenience of iMessage over WhatsApp is that you can use it freely with as many devices as you want as long as they all use the same account, cellular or not.

    54. Re: Huh... by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      Also you can use iMessage with SMS fallback on a Mac or an iPad with no cellular connection as long as you also have an iPhone around (iMessage then will use your iPhone to send a SMS from your Mac or iPad).

      Yet another stupid artificial limitation. There is no reason why an Internet connected computer should ever need a smartphone to send a message.

  2. Yes, because we need another by slaker · · Score: 1

    Yes, because we need another, even less convenient way to send a message containing some combination of unicode text and binary data from one device to another, like we don't already have Email or a bajillion other IM clients. SMS is lame enough. Fancy, fruit-exclusive SMS is better how, exactly?

    --
    -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
    1. Re:Yes, because we need another by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      Because it allows Apple to harvest messages from users to train their AI.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    2. Re:Yes, because we need another by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      If you have to ask this question then you've never used SMS.

    3. Re: Yes, because we need another by slaker · · Score: 1

      That is true. I haven't. I don't. I do have Google Voice configured to deliver SMS messages as email (and I whitelist senders to a minimum as well), precisely because I don't want to deal with another, extremely limited messaging tool. I already dislike the idea that I need accounts on six or seven different platforms to communicate with my contacts. Why add another to the list?

      --
      -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
  3. Choices abound. by jshackney · · Score: 2

    Hangouts.

    Does basically the same thing. Works on both platforms.

    1. Re:Choices abound. by ControlsGeek · · Score: 1

      Or Blackberry Messenger works on Android IOS or Blackberry. And its free to send messages unlike SMS or MMS with most carriers. The message is sent out of band via Blackberry's network.

    2. Re:Choices abound. by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      Except Blackberry Messenger requires a useless identifiant. At least Hangouts gives you access to Gmail (a lot of people use it) and other Google products.

    3. Re:Choices abound. by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      What's a blackberry?

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    4. Re:Choices abound. by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      I agree, but I think more people have a Gmail account than a Blackberry account to begin with.

    5. Re:Choices abound. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What's a blackberry?

      Imagine an apple that enjoys the company of women.

    6. Re:Choices abound. by antdude · · Score: 1

      But it requires a Google account.

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  4. why do people like non-interoperability so much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    See, I rock it oldschool with my messaging. Open protocols, choice of clients, ability to write you own client if you want, extensible, not locked into any one vendor's ecosystem, and most importantly, ability to communicate with people not in that vendor's ecosystem.

    That's what we had - past tense. Like anything it wasn't perfect, and needed some modernization and so forth, which it could have gotten.... except that we threw the concepts of my first paragraph the fuck out. Somehow, almost overnight it seems, everyone suddenly said, "HEY! It would be a swell idea if we had a metric shitton of non-interoperating messenger apps, all closed up, no choice, no nothing, controlled by a single vendor! This is gonna rock!"

    And then everybody else went, "Fuck YEAH!!!"

    And now here we are.

    What the fuck was that about anyway? Is this one of those things that happens when you get old, when you stop having even the dimmest comprehension of why all the cool kids think the latest hot trend is a great idea? Is it like those baggy pants that were the rage for a while? Because I didn't understand those either.

  5. Re:why do people like non-interoperability so much by vux984 · · Score: 1

    What the fuck was that about anyway?

    Money. It was about money, and advertising (the usualy source of the money). If you controlled the network and the client, you could monetize it.

  6. Superior? by Cyberax · · Score: 3, Funny

    He's calling iMessage a superior messaging platform. Is heroine legal in his state? Simple medical pot won't explain this.

  7. Few now what iMessage is by Dorianny · · Score: 1

    Since iMessage is baked into the text-messaging app and there is no "sign-up" process other then logging into the apple account during setup, most people have no idea that they are using iMessage or what the difference between a blue or a green conversation box actually means. About the only time most Apple users learn of imessage is when they switch to an android device without disabling iMessage or resetting their iPhone and end up not receiving messages from other iPhone users.

    1. Re:Few now what iMessage is by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      Thank you for the reminder. I have an iphone because that is what my company standard is(I actually have the option of choosing a non-standard phone, but since I need to support users with company phones...and only IT gets to choose a nonstandard phone...I decided I better have what everyone else has. I may change to an Android when I get to replace this one). I meant to disable imessage a while back and forgot to do so. I just took care of that.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
  8. Can someone fill me in here... by c · · Score: 1

    Was someone actually expecting Apple to bring iMessage to Android? It wasn't that Rob Enderle idiot again, was it? Didn't we all agree to just ignore him and hope that he'd go away?

    --
    Log in or piss off.
  9. Re:It's the libraries by puto · · Score: 1

    How does What's App do it on all all phone platforms then? Apple could easily write an Imessage lite for Windows Phone and Android that allows you to sign in with an Apple ID. Since Apples contacts is integrated with its Messaging app so it can differentiate between regular SMS and and iMessages then it would be trivial for the contacts App to be made to recognize Imessages for non-apple devices and only show features that are avail to the receiver. Simple text, sms, and video is all you need on the other platforms. Just write a separate app.

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  10. Re:why do people like non-interoperability so much by dillee1 · · Score: 2

    1) Layman know fuck all about importance of open standard, they just care about ability to show the latest titty emoticon on their message. 2) We nerd know why proprietary standard suck ass, but all our friend, family, colleague use that titty_emoticon_IM. We sigh and painfully migrate all our contact from old IRC/ICQ/MSN/whatever to that titty_emoticon_IM. 3) 5 years later, next gen kids think titty_emoticon_IM are for grannies, and penis_emoticon_IM rulz. Go back to step (1) Thats why we can never have good thing.

  11. Re:why do people like non-interoperability so much by dillee1 · · Score: 1

    1) Layman know fuck all about importance of open standard, they just care about ability to show the latest titty emoticon on their message.
    2) We nerd know why proprietary standard suck ass, but all our friend, family, colleague use that titty_emoticon_IM.
    We sigh and painfully migrate all our contact from old IRC/ICQ/MSN/whatever to that titty_emoticon_IM.
    3) 5 years later, next gen kids think titty_emoticon_IM are for grannies, and penis_emoticon_IM rulz. Go back to step (1)

    Thats why we can never have good thing.

  12. That worked quite so Well For Blackberry by williamyf · · Score: 1

    'Nuff Said!

    --
    *** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
  13. Re:Open protocol? by DaphneDiane · · Score: 1

    You are thinking of FaceTime. And when Apple tried to open the protocol they got sued and forced to switch protocols to one that they couldn't open. iMessage has some history with supporting the open Jabber (XMPP) protocol from back when it was iChat, at least on Macs but not under iOS.

  14. We definitely won't do that! by stoborrobots · · Score: 4, Informative

    iMessage will never be coming to Android

    Isn't that what they say everytime before they do the thing?

    * MP3 players are junk and just get left in drawers... http://www.bit-tech.net/news/h...
    * Macs will never run on Intel http://www.theinquirer.net/inq...
    * Ipods will never do video. http://www.macobserver.com/tmo...

    * We are not working on a phone. http://www.macobserver.com/tmo...
    * People want keyboards, tablets are going to fail http://www.wired.com/2010/02/s...
    * Information about a tablet is incorrect http://www.googl8.com/85998192...

    1. Re:We definitely won't do that! by kimvette · · Score: 1

      You forgot "No one wants a larger screen on a phone/larger screens have no use on a phone"

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  15. Re:It's the libraries by Carewolf · · Score: 1

    The latest version of iMessage clearly has access to various iOS APIs. It runs mini-Swift applications with animation, forms, and other stuff. It reaches into the host OS to provide its flashy, whiz-bang features.

    How could Apple possibly port that to Android without also porting chunks of iOS?

    Yeah how would APPLE ever copy a subset of the functionality that WhatsApp have developed for 300 times as many different platforms, with less than 50 programmers.

  16. Re:Open protocol? by puto · · Score: 1

    Apple still uses Jabber internally for it's staff. iChat the named was conceived by another company that sold chat room software long before any iDevice was even conceived of. Apple bought the name from another company for a tidy sum, and part of the deal was the other company would change the name and Apple also placed a link for a year on the bottom of the ichat page with a link to the original iChat company. I worked for the company Digi-Net, that created Digichat, that bought the original iChat company.

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  17. Take away iMessage by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    and iTunes and my kid would want an Android. She could live without iTunes (there are alternatives) but iMessage is practically a social network. Also at the risk of getting modded down for suggesting it it's a social network of well off people (iPhones being expensive and all) and it encourages her to associate with people of a certain social standing. That's pretty messed up, but I remember some of the trouble hanging out with shall we say, less affluent, kids got me into when I was young. I wouldn't mind keeping her away from all that.

    So yeah, there's a lot of lock in that comes with iMessage.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Take away iMessage by danbob999 · · Score: 1

      well at least you admit your snobism

  18. What about a stripped down iMessage? by nbritton · · Score: 1

    All I want is to be able to send messages longer than 160 characters to Android users without the messages being chopped up and receiving the pieces of the message out of order. It's annoying, this is 2016 for christ's sake. Apple's doesn't have to provide Android devices with a full featured iMessages application, just basic texting (with no character limit) and unified emojis would be sufficient.

    1. Re:What about a stripped down iMessage? by minus9 · · Score: 2

      Perhaps this new fangled email thing they have nowadays would fit the bill?

      I believe they even have it on computers now.

  19. Can anyone explain the "user-experience advantage" by Squirmy+McPhee · · Score: 3, Informative

    What is this supposed "user-experience advantage" of iMessage? I sure can't figure it out. The first thing I do when my employer gives me a new iPhone is turn off iMessage, because it has caused me plenty of trouble and I have never knowingly seen one single solitary benefit from it.

    I do a lot of international travel, keeping data roaming turned off, and knew nothing of iMessage when I got my first iPhone. It took me forever to figure out why text messages to and from certain people always seemed to be delayed. One day I turned on international data roaming to check for an urgent work email and instantly a slew of old text messages came through, followed by an alert from my carrier that I'd just spent 25 euros in roaming fees. I eventually figured out it was all down to iMessage, and the people whose texts were delayed were all iPhone users, so oddly enough it was Apple's "user-experience advantage" that cost me 25 euros and blocked messages to other iPhone users while allowing messages to non-iPhone users to pass unmolested....

  20. A: Because it breaks the flow of a message by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 3, Funny

    Q: Why is starting a comment in the Subject: field incredibly irritating?

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  21. Vodafone 3G USB stick by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    Run their software on windows.
    Theres a SMS send and receive app.

    Bazinga - your just blind

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    1. Re:Vodafone 3G USB stick by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      u so cheeky, boy

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  22. Ever go read a 3G modules manual? by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

    I have had a Huawei 3G module , and you can issue
    AT commands via USB serial to read sms, and send sms.
    http://www.smssolutions.net/tu...

    --
    Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  23. Re:why do people like non-interoperability so much by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    It appeals to people who either want exclusivity (mostly kids bullying those who aren't part of the hipster club) and people who don't know any better.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  24. Re:Can anyone explain the "user-experience advanta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Because in the US texts were crazy-expensive and data was stupid-cheap, meaning that creating a shadow-network to replace SMS messages with something else was a legitimate user benefit.

    In response the US carriers stopped with the text shenanigans and now it isn't.

    Which leaves modern iMessage absolutely worthless while causing the exact problems you mentioned.

  25. Wait wait wait... by HalAtWork · · Score: 2

    *Not* being able to communicate with people outside the iOS user base is a user experience advantage?

    This is one thing MS is getting right that Apple is doing wrong. MS aims to have cortana control and sync all discrete services by having its cortana app actually manage the device and its notifications. Apple will just be under that umbrella. Google on the other hand is allowing their apps and services on all devices, allowing the user experience to live everywhere.

    Apple will just be overwhelmed or niche, unless they can somehow get a killer app or killer hardware that everyone else needs to catch up on. This is why everyone uses hangouts or slack/irc

  26. Being removed from your IOS device as well by sdinfoserv · · Score: 1

    The problem with Imessage is that it can't be tracked and recorded - for Government users, freedom of information and sunshine laws make this unacceptable. The only way to ensure compliance for Govt organizations is to manage the devices and disable imessage functionality.

  27. Re:Open protocol? by danbob999 · · Score: 1

    Apple never tried to open the protocol, and they were sued for infrenging patents, not for opening their protocol.

  28. Re:why do people like non-interoperability so much by danbob999 · · Score: 1

    the problem is that some of us do use and even promote titty_emoticon_IM

  29. Agree. by lindseyp · · Score: 1

    I have friends with various mobile platforms. Some of them have switched to or from iPhones to Android or even Windows phones. Because of this, I almost never use iMessage any more. The natural tendency has been for *everybody* to rely more and more on messaging apps that are cross-platform, i.e. Whatsapp and less-so LINE. In part because group chats are common. Here in Asia, whatsapp, with its end-to-end encryption, delivery notifications, and the ability to send pictures, audio clips etc. Has become the de-facto secure messaging system to replace fax in a way that e-mail has failed. No platform-specific system, iMessage included, will ever achieve this.

    --
    j'ai découvert une démonstration vraiment admirable (de ce théorème général) que cette si
    1. Re:Agree. by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      This. You just made exactly the point I was trying to make.

      Thank you for proving a much better wordsmith than myself.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  30. Want to be sure they got it? No iMessage. by dougmc · · Score: 1

    iMessage *could* be fixed. If Apple would make messages go to every device that's signed on under that account and send it via SMS (and have the system throw out duplicates if needed), it could be decent.

    But instead ... it only goes to one device, which may or may not be the one they're using. (Or maybe it won't even go to that one device.)

    So ... ultimately, if you want to make sure that they get your message, you need to turn off iMessage, or at least not use anything that uses it.

    Personally, I'm surprised that Apple screwed this up so badly and left it that way -- but yet, here we are.

  31. Lock in is also lock out by iamacat · · Score: 1

    If you are a current iOS user, it's easy to try a boatload of Google apps. Like what you see? You can get the full experience for your next phone, keep accessing lifetime of your photos for free and have a wide choice of form factors and special features like waterproof devices.

    If you are among the current majority of users in US and worldwide with an Android phone - why even think about Apple? It's not like you can try out iMessage on your Windows 10 tablet or Android phone, fall in love with quality and look for more from the creator. Easier to just standardize on Facebook messenger or whatsapp.

  32. We don't care by JohnStock · · Score: 1

    ..say the far more numerous Android users worldwide that are quite happy with what they have.