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Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

androidpolice.com

11–19 of 19 posts

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#11
post #10
post #6

I don’t understand the point this article is trying to make. Yes, Apple execs thought that iMessage exclusivity would help them. Perhaps it did a little but the app still connects seamlessly to android users via sms. I never think when contacting someone, “oh wait, do they have an iPhone?” As for imessage-specific features (iMessage App Store, cash, imessage for businesses etc): they have pretty limited use. And in f…

> Whatsapp has crushed most of the messaging apps, imessage included. Not in US. And specially not within teens in US. ( And you can exclude Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and possibly Australia as well. Edit: And of course China. ) To this day I still dont understand how anyone use iMessages on a day to day basis. It is possibly the worst form of instant messaging I have had for years. Even worst than ICQ.

I think Apple software is popular not because it's own value and features, but because:

1. It's free

2. It's preinstalled

3. It's well integrated

I don't think I'd use Mail, iMessage, Safari or Preview if it was not installed by default and set up so it is a default app. Feature-wise I'd say Apple software it good enough not to bother installing anything else and that's it.

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#12
post #10
post #6

I don’t understand the point this article is trying to make. Yes, Apple execs thought that iMessage exclusivity would help them. Perhaps it did a little but the app still connects seamlessly to android users via sms. I never think when contacting someone, “oh wait, do they have an iPhone?” As for imessage-specific features (iMessage App Store, cash, imessage for businesses etc): they have pretty limited use. And in f…

> Whatsapp has crushed most of the messaging apps, imessage included. Not in US. And specially not within teens in US. ( And you can exclude Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and possibly Australia as well. Edit: And of course China. ) To this day I still dont understand how anyone use iMessages on a day to day basis. It is possibly the worst form of instant messaging I have had for years. Even worst than ICQ.

What’s not to like about iMessage?

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#13
post #7
post #6

I don’t understand the point this article is trying to make. Yes, Apple execs thought that iMessage exclusivity would help them. Perhaps it did a little but the app still connects seamlessly to android users via sms. I never think when contacting someone, “oh wait, do they have an iPhone?” As for imessage-specific features (iMessage App Store, cash, imessage for businesses etc): they have pretty limited use. And in f…

iMessage intentionally attaches social inclusion to ability to buy premium hardware. I think that's wrong.

Yep. My friends all talk about “green people”. That is friends who are so poor they can’t afford iPhones so their texts show up as green instead of blue.

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#14
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whatsapp has crushed most of the messaging apps, imessage included. Not in US. And specially not within teens in US. ( And you can exclude Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and possibly Australia as well. Edit: And of course China. ) To this day I still dont understand how anyone use iMessages on a day to day basis. It is possibly the worst form of instant messaging I have had for years. Even worst than ICQ.

What’s not to like about iMessage?

Message Sending and Receiving not reliable and long delay.

Group Message often not delivered.

Group members often get drop out of Group messages for no reason. They thought no one was talking when that is not the case.

Their message to group will then appear to each individual member.

To solve this problem we have to restart a new group.

iMessage for years dont have searching. ( It is a bit like App Store where they just didn't bother to improve its searching )

And this isn't old. As recent as 2018 that was still the case. 7 years after its first introduction. We tried it as group every year and every year we felt disappointed.

WhatsApp on the other hand has been near perfect. ( Apart from being part of Facebook )

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#15
post #9

It's not a long-term problem because they're going to have to add support for RCS at some point, meaning Android users will have a similar experience to iMessage with their iOS friends. Apple wasn't going to port iMessage to Android because there isn't any benefit. I can't charge people to use a messaging app, they're free. I love iMessage, it's one of the reasons I stay on the Apple platform, but in a world where al…

>It's not a long-term problem because they're going to have to add support for RCS at some point, meaning Android users will have a similar experience to iMessage with their iOS friends.

Except it won't be encrypted. And the social stigma, as stupid as it is, of "green chat" or whatever teenagers are calling it, isn't going away.

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#16
post #9

It's not a long-term problem because they're going to have to add support for RCS at some point, meaning Android users will have a similar experience to iMessage with their iOS friends. Apple wasn't going to port iMessage to Android because there isn't any benefit. I can't charge people to use a messaging app, they're free. I love iMessage, it's one of the reasons I stay on the Apple platform, but in a world where al…

To summarize, Apple acting anti-competitively (lock users to iPhones by treating Android users as second class citizens) is okay because:

1) they might fix it at some indeterminate point (do you have a source for how this will work? or some evidence pointing this way?)

2) they don't benefit by porting (uh, why is Apple Music on Android then? and yes, this is why you act anti-competitively)

3) there are other chat apps (but literally every other chat app you mention is cross-platform)

This is a very weak reply to the allegations alleged in the article.

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#17
post #6

I don’t understand the point this article is trying to make. Yes, Apple execs thought that iMessage exclusivity would help them. Perhaps it did a little but the app still connects seamlessly to android users via sms. I never think when contacting someone, “oh wait, do they have an iPhone?” As for imessage-specific features (iMessage App Store, cash, imessage for businesses etc): they have pretty limited use. And in f…

> Perhaps it did a little but the app still connects seamlessly to android users via sms. And meanwhile, when I'm (with an Android device) texting my friend (with an iPhone), I end up getting spammed with 'Laughed at "$MESSAGE"' and 'Loved "$MESSAGE"' because apparently reactions to texts come across as texts themselves. (I don't know if this is an iMessage thing specifically, though, or even something that a suffici…

There are similar limits on photos/video. MMS photos are resolution capped at ~1MP, and videos have are compressed to be barely legible.

iMessage transfers photos/video at their native resolution.

Which means that if three iPhone users send photos in a group chat, everything's great. Add one Android user and all four are degraded to MMS quality levels.

I think my next phone will be by Apple, specifically so I can enjoy the seamless image/video sharing the rest of my family has. Probably a few generations back - I don't need the fancy cameras and screens.

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#18
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What’s not to like about iMessage?

Message Sending and Receiving not reliable and long delay. Group Message often not delivered. Group members often get drop out of Group messages for no reason. They thought no one was talking when that is not the case. Their message to group will then appear to each individual member. To solve this problem we have to restart a new group. iMessage for years dont have searching. ( It is a bit like App Store where they…

Your group all has iPhones and this happens ?

Re: Apple admits that iMessage for Android was killed to keep its walled garden

#19
post #18
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Message Sending and Receiving not reliable and long delay. Group Message often not delivered. Group members often get drop out of Group messages for no reason. They thought no one was talking when that is not the case. Their message to group will then appear to each individual member. To solve this problem we have to restart a new group. iMessage for years dont have searching. ( It is a bit like App Store where they…

Your group all has iPhones and this happens ?

Yes. After all Group messages wouldn't even work in SMS / non-iMessages scenario at all.
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