Apple explains why iMessage hasn't made it to Android

Before the keynote that started WWDC 2016 was held and like every year, rumors circulated about what was going to be presented at the event. One of these rumors claimed that Apple would launch iMessage for Android, which would allow Android users to use iMessage and iOS users to use the default messages application with more users. The keynote ended and there was no sign of that version.

iMessage, as it is commonly known even though it is actually called just Messages, is one of the most widely used applications in the United States. That's one of the reasons why in iOS 10 it has taken a huge leap in terms of functions but, at the same time, it is also the reason why it seems that it will never reach Android. This is how Walt Mossberg has published it (The Verge), who spoke to "an Apple executive."

We already know why iMessage will not arrive on Android

First, he said, Apple takes into account its own user base of 1.000 billion active devices to provide a data set large enough for any potential AI learning the company may be working on. Second, having a superior messaging platform that only works on Apple devices could boost sales of those devices, the company's classic (and successful) foundation for years.

But, as we have said on different occasions, the door is not fully closed. Starting with iOS 10, iMessage, like other Apple applications, will be more open and will allow developers to work with an SDK with which they can add their own functions and extensions. iMessage will thus become a platform, so it is expected (although it does not seem very likely) that sooner or later third-party applications will appear in the App Store. If Apple does not restrict it in some way, the possibility of these third-party applications reaching Google Play cannot be ruled out, but it would not be the same application. Basically, chatting with an unofficial iMessage application for Android and iOS 10 would be like chatting with iMessage between the versions of iOS 10 and iOS 8: the latest version has a lot of new features, while the one for iOS 8 still did not have any the slight improvements they made in iOS 9.

In any case, at present we only have one thing confirmed: iMessage for Android is not a reality and it does not seem that it will be, at least in the short term and as an official application.