But other side of the Apple reality is your then stuck when all your other relatives use Android. I am then forced to use some $app, persuade my contacts to us

But other side of the Apple reality is your then stuck when all your other relatives use Android. I am then forced to use some $app, persuade my contacts to use said app. Defeating the point of iMessage when I just want native support all around. Something that Apple had never implemented anywhere else and for which it could decades ago. I wouldn't switch to an Android because the feature became available. If all your contacts use Apple Devices, sure go nuts. But when others don't iMessage becomes unpractical. But hey, vendor device lock-in money is very nice. It's unfortunate that they don't water the lawns of the walled-garden nor restock the bird feeder. We are expected to do that ourselves using a wooden ladder with missing prongs.