iMessage support for android is limited. The most evident is that if you're running iMessage on Android your messages will show on an iPhone as a green bubble

iMessage support for android is limited. The most evident is that if you're running iMessage on Android your messages will show on an iPhone as a green bubble (as opposed to a blue one if you were using an iPhone). This might not seem like a great a deal, but it is, specially in young people... there is a lot of cultural baggage against "green bubble". You might get bullied in school for it. Apple basically "brands you" to set you apart. There's also limited reactions (when you "heart" or "thumbs up" a message) and some types of messages are just not supported in the android version of the app. So, in reality, apple kind of goes out of its way to make the app just not fully compatible in android precisely because they want people to feel left out if they're not using an iPhone. I think it's important to think of this issue from the perspective of a first-time phone buyer. Which at this point might be a 10-12yo, if all their friends are texting on iMessage and you're the only one that's different... well, I think a lot of us know that's not a feeling you necessarily will enjoy.