Rumor: Apple to debut iMessage for Android at WWDC 2016

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2016
An unconfirmed, and somewhat tenuous, rumor on Thursday claims iMessage will be Apple's next Android release, with the company potentially planning a debut next week at its Worldwide Developers Conference.




Citing anonymous sources, MacDailyNews reports Apple plans to announce iMessage for Android at Monday's WWDC 2016 keynote event, a move that could significantly expand the service's footprint. The publication lacks a measurable track record when it comes to Apple product predictions, though rumors of an official Messages app port have been circulating for some time.

Apple is looking to build out its software services offerings by extending support beyond devices running iOS and OS X, the source said. While no mean feat, adding Android compatibility to iMessage would be relatively straightforward as the product's backend resides in the cloud.

Announcing a Messages expansion at WWDC would not be unprecedented for Apple, which at last year's conference revealed Apple Music would run on Android. Apple Music later landed on the Google Play store as Apple's first in-house developed Android app offering.

For Apple, gaining a foothold on Google's flagship OS gives its customer base access to a trusted -- end-to-end encrypted -- messaging service compatible with a majority of the world's smartphones. Giving Android stalwarts a taste of iOS design and security might also drive platform churn. During its most recent quarterly conference call in April, Apple said Android switch rates hit an all-time highs over the first fiscal half of 2016.

Barring a debut next week, the publication's sources claim Messages will launch later this year.

AppleInsider will be reporting live from WWDC 2016 starting with the keynote presentation on Monday, June 13 at 10 a.m. Pacific.
iWolfuk
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 60
    I'm gonna call "no go" on this rumor. One of my computers is running OS X on non-Apple hardware, and iMessage is the biggest PITA to get working, due to multiple layers of authentication it uses to maintain it's vaunted security. It really is "no mean feat" to completely change it's backend workings to accommodate Android. From my experience and understanding of how the service works, porting it to Android would compromise the security of the service - perhaps it's biggest selling point - because of the inherent fragmentation of that ecosystem. Plus, there are plenty of services out there already that exceed iMessage in functionality, that are already cross-platform. I don't see that Apple stands to gain anything from this rumored expansion of iMessage. 
    edited June 2016 lollivermdriftmeyerbaconstangnetmagemagman1979airbubbleargonaut
  • Reply 2 of 60
    karmadavekarmadave Posts: 369member
    If true, this would be a good move on Apple's part...
    bigpicswilliamlondonirelandsingularity
  • Reply 3 of 60
    VisualSeedVisualSeed Posts: 217member
    While it is certainly possible It really doesn't make a lot of sense if iMessage was a selling point of iOS/MacOS and the hardware to run it. Unlike Apple Music, supporting iMessage on Android earns Apple no money and it is just another costly service to support. On the other hand, if Apple is going to do something big and try to get ahead of Google and Facebook and their respective messengers and bots then interoperability with Android will be required and the only way to ensure end to end encryption. Maybe Apple is going to announce some sort of new content sharing paradigm, like sharing a VR experience or Siri for home automation or a quasi social network and iMessage is a gateway to access and deliver it. iMessage on Android could be the trojan to also allow all kinds of iOS type service like AirDrop, Handoff, Live Photos FaceTime, etc...
    edited June 2016 lollivertallest skilTurboPGT
  • Reply 4 of 60
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Your software leverages your hardware to distinguish it from the competition. iMessage is one such piece. It will be evolved, but not opened up to Android and Samsung.
    lollivernetmagemagman1979argonaut
  • Reply 5 of 60
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    If this is true that just tells me Apple hardware sales will continue to be soft and they're going to bring changes to iMessage that they can monetize and push to Android as well. I think it's pretty obvious that ads in the App Store are about generating more "services" revenue than anything else.
    lord amhran
  • Reply 6 of 60
    Google's messaging platform is such a mess right now, I'd say go for it Apple. 
    mike1ireland
  • Reply 7 of 60
    why-why- Posts: 305member
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    netmage
  • Reply 8 of 60
    While it is certainly possible It really doesn't make a lot of sense if iMessage was a selling point of iOS/MacOS and the hardware to run it. Unlike Apple Music, supporting iMessage on Android earns Apple no money and it is just another costly service to support. On the other hand, if Apple is going to do something big and try to get ahead of Google and Facebook and their respective messengers and bots then interoperability with Android will be required and the only way to ensure end to end encryption. Maybe Apple is going to announce some sort of new content sharing paradigm, like sharing a VR experience or Siri for home automation or a quasi social network and iMessage is a gateway to access and deliver it. iMessage on Android could be the trojan to also allow all kinds of iOS type service like AirDrop, Handoff, Live Photos FaceTime, etc...
    iMessage could be the delivery vehicle for peer-to-payments for Apple Pay in Android. Services is a growing revenue stream for Apple and opening "some" of it's software products to other platform helps.
    VisualSeedlatifbpirelandstantheman
  • Reply 9 of 60
    Also another way to stick it to the FBI.. Bring end-to-end encryption messaging to another platform.
    latifbpwilliamlondonireland
  • Reply 10 of 60
    TurboPGTTurboPGT Posts: 355member
    I don't like this at all.

    The quality of iMessage and Apple Music should be things that lure people to iPhone, not deployed on junk Android devices where the experience is junk.
    baconstanglollivernetmagemagman1979awilliams87ai46
  • Reply 11 of 60
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    I've been an iMessage user since it first came out. At first it was beneficial because carriers were still charging you for texts.  Now everyone has smartphones and all the carriers have unlimited texting. 

    Maybe im just clueless, but what exactly is advantage of iMessage these days over text messaging or WhatsApp or wherever else is out there?
    saltyzip
  • Reply 12 of 60
    koopkoop Posts: 337member
    If this is true that just tells me Apple hardware sales will continue to be soft and they're going to bring changes to iMessage that they can monetize and push to Android as well. I think it's pretty obvious that ads in the App Store are about generating more "services" revenue than anything else.
    I think Apple Music has shown us that Apple may be slowly shifting gears into a more service oriented company. Perhaps they see a future with a weaker $600+ hardware business, and carriers have done them no service removing subsidies and revealing costs of devices to customers directly. WWDC may be more important than ever to them, and the hardware refreshes may be less and less bombastic and exciting.

    Apple needs to flesh out their Cloud, Messaging and Media platforms for more customers. Slowly Apple is being outpaced in AI, music, cloud, productivity etc. This needs to be their next attack vector and they need to make this available not to their 10% market-share but the 90% of the market that doesn't use their devices. People claim these software services need to stay on iPhone because it gives them a competitive edge, but more than often Apple's own services are being replaced by Google on their own phone. The war is software, and Steve Jobs claimed Apple is a software company. They need to start acting like it.
    bigpics
  • Reply 13 of 60
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Doubtful. iMessage is a feature for iOS. What does it give Apple if it's on Android? Nothing. 
    netmageawilliams87nolamacguy
  • Reply 14 of 60
    why- said:
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    Technically they've never stopped, seeing as FileMaker is still actively produced. 
    chianolamacguy
  • Reply 15 of 60
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    why- said:
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    Apple Music is on Android as an app off the Google Play store. 

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.android.music&hl=en
    douglas baileylatifbp
  • Reply 16 of 60
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    why- said:
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    I was going to dispute that, but iTunes truly is JUST a gateway to get people to buy Apple’s hardware.

    iMessage on other garbage wouldn’t sell Apple hardware, just like Apple Music (or whatever it is... beats? Doesn’t Apple make something for Android still?) doesn’t. It’s a terrible idea.
  • Reply 17 of 60
    why-why- Posts: 305member
    macxpress said:
    why- said:
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    Apple Music is on Android as an app off the Google Play store. 

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.android.music&hl=en

    ahh fair enough
    why- said:
    genuinely curious, when was the last time apple made software for another platform? (and iTunes doesn't count)
    I was going to dispute that, but iTunes truly is JUST a gateway to get people to buy Apple’s hardware.

    iMessage on other garbage wouldn’t sell Apple hardware, just like Apple Music (or whatever it is... beats? Doesn’t Apple make something for Android still?) doesn’t. It’s a terrible idea.

    agreed
  • Reply 18 of 60
    larryalarrya Posts: 606member
    Interesting push/pull approach.  Push me away from iPhone by removing the headphone jack and reserving camera improvements to the 7+.  Pull me to Android by provided iMessage there.  Seems like a terrible idea for business.
    netmageawilliams87
  • Reply 19 of 60
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    larrya said:
    Interesting push/pull approach.  Push me away from iPhone by removing the headphone jack and reserving camera improvements to the 7+.  Pull me to Android by provided iMessage there.  Seems like a terrible idea for business.
    Android phones are already getting rid of the headphone jack as well. 
    netmageirelandigorskynolamacguy
  • Reply 20 of 60
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,275member
    I'd be happy. When sending out group messages at work, there's always one greenie in the group that pushes everybody to a standard text message. Now our IT group can force them to install iMessage and use for work messages ensuring better security.
    argonautwilliamlondonireland
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