The London-based consumer tech company Nothing has released a new app that brings iMessage to Android phones. Nothing Chats bridges the ever-increasing gap between the messaging services on the two popular operating systems. It is powered by Sunbird, a messaging platform. Nothing Chats will be available to users of a particular phone by the company starting November 17, 2023, in select regions. Here’s everything you need to know about Nothing Chats.
A Brief History Of iMessage Vs. Google Messages
For a while, Alphabet-owned Google has been making fun of Apple for not adopting Rich Communication Service (RCS). This relatively newer messaging protocol enables a better multimedia experience for Android users when compared to SMS and MMS.
The Pixel phone maker argues that if the Cupertino-based tech giant incorporates RCS into its messaging app, millions of users worldwide can send and receive high-quality messages with supported emojis, images, and videos. Although Apple hasn’t considered it, Google, along with other telecom operators in the EU, has written a letter to the regulators to ask Apple to open up iMessage.
What Is Nothing Chats?
Per the official community post, Nothin Chats is a “first-of-its-kind app developed in partnership with Sunbird, which allows you to message other iMessage users” from the Nothing Phone based on Android. The Carl Pei-led company believes messaging services divide phone users, and the app will unite them by providing a seamless experience across different operating systems. Nothing Chats also supports RCS on compatible devices.
How Does Nothing Chats Work?
To use iMessage on Android, users must have a Phone (2). With the smartphone, users should download the Nothing Chats app from the Google Play Store. The next step is to create an Apple ID (assuming that Android users generally don’t have an account on Apple’s servers), sign into the app, and that’s it. Nothing Chats will allow Phone (2) users to converse with iPhone users in the iconic blue bubbles. Although the app is still in development, it will provide the basic functionality right off the bat.
iMessage Vs. Nothing Chats: Does The Latter Lacks Any Features?
Those who have tested the app confirm that it works. However, there are a few downsides. For instance, some iMessage features aren’t there yet, such as editing messages, reactions, and read receipts. Nothing Chats works for both personal and group chats. However, if one user in a group doesn’t have iMessage, the app doesn’t work. Nonetheless, users can send and receive high-quality images and can see when the other user is typing.
Will Apple Respond To Nothing Chats?
Since Nothing is releasing the app on Friday, there are speculations that the company is giving Apple some time to react to it, either with appreciation (which is highly unlikely as the company likes people sticking to its devices) or perhaps with a lawsuit. However, popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee says in his video, citing Nothing’s CEO, that retaliation might not portray Apple in the best light. Hence, the company might not take an action at all.
Is Nothing Chats Secure?
Further, the YouTuber also raises a security concern in his recent video, explaining that Nothing Chats signs in the users’ Apple ID on a Mac Mini server farm, which does all the message routing behind the scenes. This might be unsafe simply because users must provide their Apple ID access to someone else. However, per a report by The Verge, which contains a statement from Nothing’s PR Head in the United States, Sunbird stores users’ iCloud credentials in an encrypted database. Further, it converts the credentials to tokens, reinforcing the service’s safety.
Sunbird’s Security Protocols
Per the official Nothing website. Nothing Chats is built on Sunbird’s platform; all chat messages are encrypted end-to-end. Further, Sunbird’s architecture provides a system to deliver a message from one user to another without storing it at any point. Last but not least, the company deletes users’ account details after two weeks of inactivity. Nothing sure is trying to fulfill all the security and privacy requirements that users might be concerned about, but ultimately, Nothing Chats’ success depends on how seamless and, simultaneously, reliable it proves to be.
For now, Nothing Chats is only available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the European Union. However, the company will bring it to more regions in the future.
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