Conflict at Apple: executives want to bring this important tool from iPhone to Android
News apparatus Conflict at Apple: executives want to bring this important tool from iPhone to Android
If there’s one new iPhone app that deserves to be on Android, it’s iMessage, the instant messaging system found as standard on Apple-branded devices. But despite the insistence of some company leaders, the resistance has been going on for almost 10 years.
Is iMessage on Android even possible? Already in 2013, high-profile Apple executives, including Eddie Cue, now Apple’s senior vice president of Internet services and software, he conveyed his opinion to his colleagues via e-mail : “We really need to bring iMessage to Android. We have several people investigating the issue, but we need to hurry and turn it into an official project.”.
Despite this great ambition, The dispute has heated up at Apple, and it has progressed to the point of creating a real conflict between the defendants. Results: Almost 10 years later, iMessage is still not available on Androidand this is still one of the symbols of closure of the iOS ecosystem today.
iMessage is a symbol of misunderstanding between iOS and Android
The result of this situation looks grotesque today: iPhone users have to switch to traditional SMS when they want to communicate with a friend or family member equipped with an Android terminal.. If they are using iMessage, the communication will not happen.
The problem is that we don’t always know what kind of smartphone our interlocutor uses, and this can lead to certain consequences. This automatically prompts iPhone owners to turn to other means of communication, such as WhatsApp.
According to the latest survey conducted by the site, on the side of Android users Android Authoritythat meansMost terminal users equipped with Google OS would be willing to switch to iMessage if offered an official port.. But a priori, expectation is a vein on the subject.
Interest-free investment for Apple
As part of a Wall Street Journal podcast, Apple’s vice president of iOS and macOS, Craig Federighi, He talked about this topic, which has been talked about since 2013. The answer to the big question, “Why didn’t Apple ever take this step?” is quite radical.
Indeed, Craig Federighi believes that working on an iMessage port on Android will be just that. A waste of Apple resources. When the topic was brought to the table in 2013, the company felt this after investigating the matteriMessage wouldn’t be used by so many people on Androidand that the investment is not justified.
“If we were content to offer an app that didn’t reach enough users on other platforms, it would prevent us from innovating so intensively on messaging for our customers. »
Will Apple ever offer iMessage on Android?
Prioritizing iPhone users was a priority in 2013. But the goal was also to keep them close to the Apple ecosystem. After all, if the company were to introduce one of the highlights of the iPhone on Android, deprived the consumer of the desire to choose an Apple product not another brand. “Without a strategy to become the primary messaging service for the majority of mobile phone users, I fear that iMessage on Android will only remove the barrier for families who give their children Android phones instead of iPhones »Craig Federighi already believed then.
We are sure that this position has not changed much today. If Apple had demonstrated a greater spirit of openness over the past decade, iMessage will likely remain a hot topic within the company, and you can be sure that this service will never come to Android. At least the reluctant leaders of 2013 will still be in office.