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> Beeper Mini is beautiful, fast and fun. Our main goal with the app is to upgrade chats between iPhone and Android users from unencrypted green bubble SMS to e

> Beeper Mini is beautiful, fast and fun. Our main goal with the app is to upgrade chats between iPhone and Android users from unencrypted green bubble SMS to encrypted, fully featured blue bubble chats. Can someone help me understand a big question about iMessage? What makes iMessage so special that it needs to run on android? There are plenty of other cross platform applications for messaging that fit the quoted needs. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram are a few examples. If end users care about “upgraded chats”, they can simply use one of those and ask those whom they message to also use those apps. Am I missing something? What makes iMessage so special?

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
jmondi 3y ago
It is the default message platform on iPhones, that is what makes it so special.
chewmieser 3y ago
The US uses SMS/MMS, that won’t change. SMS has limitations, which is why iMessage and RCS were created. When newer functionality is used, the experience between Android and iOS is poor - like poor media quality or stickers not appearing where they’re stuck, etc. Other issues are limitations by the OS, like Apple doesn’t let you change the group name for non-iMessage groups. Or Apple doesn’t let you replace the entire messaging app, so you’d need multiple apps to cover multiple channels. The issues and OS limitations leads to things like kids bullying green bubbles (as silly as that sounds). I don’t think Android users have a right to iMessage but I can understand the need to properly interpolate with each other here and it sounds like RCS will be just that when Apple adopts it. I think that both Google took too long playing with new messaging apps and Apple took too long to actually want to make this experience better for Android-iPhone communication (which they’ve been pretty clear they’d only do due to pressure, since it helps them sell phones). The pressure is great. Maybe we’ll actually have a good experience with RCS, but we will see…
- marcellus23 3y ago
  > like Apple doesn’t let you change the group name for non-iMessage groups SMS doesn't support the concept of naming a group. That's not an OS limitation.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - Hasu 3y ago
    And yet I can do it with SMS group messages on Android with Google's Messages app.
    - marcellus23 3y ago
      Are you're sure that's not RCS?
      - otachack 3y ago
        To me it's just applicable from my end on the Android app. It explicitly says the other members don't see the group name.
    - richardwhiuk 3y ago
      SMS group messages don't exist. There's broadcast SMS (where the phone sends the same SMS to multiple people) and MMS groups.
      - marcellus23 3y ago
        Does MMS support naming groups?
- quadrifoliate 3y ago
  > The issues and OS limitations leads to things like kids bullying green bubbles (as silly as that sounds). That sounds silly, but it's important enough that Apple executives were talking about it ten years ago. See the link from the article at https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609 https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609 > In the absence of a strategy to become the primary messaging service...iMessage on Android would serve to remove an obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones That's from Craig Federighi, who is now the SVP at Apple in charge of all operating systems. If it were a minor silly thing, you probably wouldn't expect it to be talked about at the highest levels at Apple, would you?
cassianoleal 3y ago
My understanding is that there’s a weird trend in the US, where iPhones dominate, to regard “green bubble” users as socially inferior or something of the sort. Anyone who knows more about this please correct me. This is purely from reading Internet forums.
- sevagh 3y ago
  I used to believe this wouldn't happen to me (I use Android phones without much issue). Then, last week, I was added to a group text for some party planning, and the first few messages in the group chat were "who here has android", "who's the intruder", etc. Of course it was all jokey and no big deal but I still came away from that situation having learned that all this green bubble malarkey is very much real, and these were all grown adults (like, 30+ with children).
  - ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
    It kind of messes up the functionality. If you have all iMessage users, then you can do things like add more users to the chat, etc. As soon as one Android user is in the chat, then you can't do that. The other issue, for me, personally, is that I can respond to my iOS users from my desktop (where I spend most of my time), but I have to actually pick up the phone to communicate with my Android friends. It's not the end of the world, as my Apple Watch tells me when I get texts from my phone, but it is a bit annoying.
    - psobot 3y ago
      FWIW - you can enable Apple's built-in text message forwarding to proxy those SMSes via your iPhone to your Mac - it's pretty seamless. See: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/messages/icht8a28bb9a/mac https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/messages/icht8a28bb9a/...
    - dingnuts 3y ago
      [flagged]
    - 3y ago
quarkw 3y ago
Like jmondi mentioned, its' the default app for messaging on iPhones. On top of that, switching to upgraded chats by switching platforms is not as easy as it sounds because you need to convince your friends to switch platforms. And that can be a hard ask, especially for friends and family that are less tech-savvy. You could have people only message you via text, instead of iMessage, but doing that reliably is harder than switching platforms, unless you ask someone to disable iMessage in the messages app altogether, and no one wants to do that
k8svet 3y ago
You're missing nothing. Other than the fact that we've systematically decided that the average person is too lay to actively care about privacy and interoperability, and thus we all have to embrace the Stockholm Syndrome of acting like iMessage is respectable, at all. My friend sent me the Beeper Mini article the other week and said "Look, you can have blue bubbles now!". I immediately scoffed - even if it wasn't going to break in a few days, I will never lift a finger to support what Apple is doing with iMessage. Absolutely absurd, even more so absurd the way folks talk about it.
- freedomben 3y ago
  Same. I've been considering ways to do whatever (infinitesimally small) things I can to help change the culture around "blue bubbles." I love being a "green bubble." Green bubbles are not just "a broke Android user" even though the Apple masses like to spread that image. Green bubbles are a sign of a technological badass, a power user who does things with their devices that Big Gray doesn't think they should be able to. It's the sign of a person who thinks lock-in strategies are gross and an anti-pattern, and is principled enough to vote with their wallet. It's the sign of a non-conformist, a free thinker who makes their own decisions, rather than following the group-thinking masses. A green bubble is the badge of honor that identifies a person who thinks differently. In the end, Apple's strategy will probably win because Machiavellianism works, but that doesn't mean we can't give it a hell of a good run.
  - quadrifoliate 3y ago
    I also love being a green bubble, and telling people to use one of the several other secure, cross-platform messengers. I would personally never use Beeper Mini, because anyone in my social circle who cares about "blue bubbles" would be mocked mercilessly. But I also hear all these stories about kids being bullied for having Android phones, and see Apple executives talking about locking entire families into the iPhone ecosystem using iMessage [1] on that basis. To me, this is pretty evil, monopolistic behavior which needs to be regulated out of existence. I'm glad Beeper is bringing it to light. The fact that it doesn't affect me personally is unimportant. ---------------------------------------- [1] https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609/photo/4 https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609/ph...
mrinterweb 3y ago
There isn't much special about iMessage you can't find on other messaging platforms. Since iMessage is the default messaging app, few iPhone users bother installing anything else. Apple doesn't want good messaging compatibility with Android devices because they want to retain iPhone users. For the last couple years, Apple's iPhone innovation has stagnated, and one of the ways they can maintain their market share is by keeping customers in the walled garden.
- madeofpalk 3y ago
  Globally, most iPhone users install another messaging app.
- dwaite 3y ago
  > Since iMessage is the default messaging app, few iPhone users bother installing anything else. Moreso, there's no such thing as a default messaging app, just like there's no default phone dialer. The system handles telco messaging and calls. But there's also no real limitations elsewhere as long as you aren't requesting SMS/MMS specifically. I can send an image to someone via Signal just as easily as I can via iMessage - they show up in the same lists. This is different from cross-vendor standard protocols like email, where you may want a mailto: link to compose a mail in the app the user actually has configured. For mail you can configure a default application.
  - mrinterweb 3y ago
    I forgot about that. iMessage is the only option for iPhone users receiving SMS. Even more reason to play nice with other non-apple messaging systems. I am an Android user so I forget Apple doesn't allow the same level of customization and changing of system defaults.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
GabeIsko 3y ago
A bunch of hacky comedians deemed it a social fopaux to not be able to afford an iPhone for some reason. I hope they got their tik tok engagement out of it at least.
PrimeMcFly 3y ago
The biggest issue is in the US, most phones are iPhones, so most people are using iMessage by default. Because of Apple's actions, this has led to android users being ridiculously ostracized and discriminated again[0][1]. It's not that there are not alternatives, it's that iPhone users are unlikely to switch to those alternatives, leaving Android users no choice but to continue to be discriminated against if they want to talk to the majority. This a uniquely US thing. It's very strange. [0]https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-teens-dread-the-green-text-bubble-11641618009 https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-... [1]https://www.techdirt.com/2015/02/12/green-bubbles-how-apple-quietly-gets-iphone-users-to-hate-android-users/ https://www.techdirt.com/2015/02/12/green-bubbles-how-apple-...
- IshKebab 3y ago
  It kind of makes sense though. The dominant messaging app has always varied by region. The US is just really unlucky that the one that won there happens to be owned by Apple. And I say "unlucky" - it's not really luck. iMessage could only ever dominate in the US really because iPhones are very popular there and because SMS is free. In most of the world iPhones aren't nearly as dominant so nobody would use iMessage or they wouldn't be able to talk to half their friends, and there was a much bigger incentive to just ditch SMS-related systems entirely.
  - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
    I think part of the issue is Apple didn't really indicate to users they were using iMessage, so most people thought they were just using SMS anyway.
- mattgreenrocks 3y ago
  People are so weird: it used to be that using the Internet a lot was seen as anti-social, now everyone's addicted to phones and if your message bubbles aren't the right color you're the weird one. It's just a stupid chat app. It's completely awful we're strong-armed into having 6 different chat clients that send text messages because of gate-keeping. Chat has been fully commoditized since about 2000 or so.
Miner49er 3y ago
Being an Android user in the US typically comes with getting left out of group messages because most people here just use iMessage. There's not enough users of WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram.
danShumway 3y ago
For me, it's just security, no other reason. > There are plenty of other cross platform applications for messaging that fit the quoted needs. Absolutely, and I encourage people to use them. Unfortunately, I can't force people not to use iMessage. It's not about bullying (I've no doubt that it happens, but it's never happened to me). It's not about social pressure, I couldn't care less if someone wants to make a big deal over me having a green bubble -- don't let the door hit you on your way out. What it is about is the fact that I can't change my family members' behaviors, and the consequence of their behaviors is that all of their messages to me get sent unencrypted. I would like those messages to be encrypted. I can't force them to use a better messenger, so it would be nice if I could on my end make a change that seamlessly, with zero friction on their part, causes their messages to suddenly be encrypted. No, I'm not buying an iPhone, heck off with that garbage. But I would be willing to install a separate app if it meant that my family members on iPhones could instantaneously have their messages encrypted. Barring that, I can keep subtly encouraging them to use any of the other much more secure messaging services available, but... I mean, I don't control their phones. They are adults and they make their own decisions. And Apple doesn't really help here by marketing the Messages app as if it's secure while leaving out the fact in its marketing that a huge portion of the messages it sends have zero security at all. I tell people that we should swap to something else, their response is, "I don't need to, iMessages is secure." It would be secure if you were using it. But when you message me, you're not using it, you're using SMS. > If end users care about “upgraded chats”, they can simply use one of those and ask those whom they message to also use those apps. Like everything else in security, this boils down to the fact that people are apathetic and the people who are security conscious have to try and bend to meet them halfway. Beeper would have been a way for me to bend and meet some of the iPhone users in my life halfway. I'm not buying an iPhone, I'm not giving my family members an ultimatum that I'm going to stop responding to their texts if they don't use the messenger that I want them to use; that would be wildly antisocial behavior for me to engage in. So they'll send all their texts to me in plaintext. As anyone who's tried to use Signal can attest, there is nothing simple about asking people you message to use a different app. And security in specific is a really hard sell for getting people to switch. This is what I keep hammering when I talk about this -- Apple's position on iMessage makes iPhone users less secure. For anyone in my life who is security conscious, we couldn't care less about iMessage, we use actually secure cross-platform messaging services that allow us to actually encrypt 100% of what we send to each other. Emoji reactions do not matter, the problem is that iMessage can't send cross-platform encrypted chats, and Apple's position is that it cares more about whatever weird platform-exclusivity lock-in it thinks its getting than it cares about making sure the messages that iPhone users send are actually encrypted. The motivation here isn't complicated, I want the iPhone users in my life to actually be secure rather than pretending that they're secure. I'll note that the same problem also exists for Android. I'm not singling Apple out here, in practice Android users also send all of their messages to me in plain text regardless of whatever proprietary garbage Google is trying to pass off as message security nowadays. The same problem exists there, I can't get them off of the default messaging app. But on Android, there's not the potential of an app I could install that with no changes to their OS or setup would cause their messages to suddenly start being encrypted.
randyrand 3y ago
market share

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

jmondi 3y ago

It is the default message platform on iPhones, that is what makes it so special.

chewmieser 3y ago

The US uses SMS/MMS, that won’t change. SMS has limitations, which is why iMessage and RCS were created. When newer functionality is used, the experience between Android and iOS is poor - like poor media quality or stickers not appearing where they’re stuck, etc. Other issues are limitations by the OS, like Apple doesn’t let you change the group name for non-iMessage groups. Or Apple doesn’t let you replace the entire messaging app, so you’d need multiple apps to cover multiple channels. The issues and OS limitations leads to things like kids bullying green bubbles (as silly as that sounds). I don’t think Android users have a right to iMessage but I can understand the need to properly interpolate with each other here and it sounds like RCS will be just that when Apple adopts it. I think that both Google took too long playing with new messaging apps and Apple took too long to actually want to make this experience better for Android-iPhone communication (which they’ve been pretty clear they’d only do due to pressure, since it helps them sell phones). The pressure is great. Maybe we’ll actually have a good experience with RCS, but we will see…

marcellus23 3y ago
> like Apple doesn’t let you change the group name for non-iMessage groups SMS doesn't support the concept of naming a group. That's not an OS limitation.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- Hasu 3y ago
  And yet I can do it with SMS group messages on Android with Google's Messages app.
  - marcellus23 3y ago
    Are you're sure that's not RCS?
    - otachack 3y ago
      To me it's just applicable from my end on the Android app. It explicitly says the other members don't see the group name.
  - richardwhiuk 3y ago
    SMS group messages don't exist. There's broadcast SMS (where the phone sends the same SMS to multiple people) and MMS groups.
    - marcellus23 3y ago
      Does MMS support naming groups?
quadrifoliate 3y ago
> The issues and OS limitations leads to things like kids bullying green bubbles (as silly as that sounds). That sounds silly, but it's important enough that Apple executives were talking about it ten years ago. See the link from the article at https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609 https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609 > In the absence of a strategy to become the primary messaging service...iMessage on Android would serve to remove an obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones That's from Craig Federighi, who is now the SVP at Apple in charge of all operating systems. If it were a minor silly thing, you probably wouldn't expect it to be talked about at the highest levels at Apple, would you?

cassianoleal 3y ago

My understanding is that there’s a weird trend in the US, where iPhones dominate, to regard “green bubble” users as socially inferior or something of the sort. Anyone who knows more about this please correct me. This is purely from reading Internet forums.

sevagh 3y ago
I used to believe this wouldn't happen to me (I use Android phones without much issue). Then, last week, I was added to a group text for some party planning, and the first few messages in the group chat were "who here has android", "who's the intruder", etc. Of course it was all jokey and no big deal but I still came away from that situation having learned that all this green bubble malarkey is very much real, and these were all grown adults (like, 30+ with children).
- ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
  It kind of messes up the functionality. If you have all iMessage users, then you can do things like add more users to the chat, etc. As soon as one Android user is in the chat, then you can't do that. The other issue, for me, personally, is that I can respond to my iOS users from my desktop (where I spend most of my time), but I have to actually pick up the phone to communicate with my Android friends. It's not the end of the world, as my Apple Watch tells me when I get texts from my phone, but it is a bit annoying.
  - psobot 3y ago
    FWIW - you can enable Apple's built-in text message forwarding to proxy those SMSes via your iPhone to your Mac - it's pretty seamless. See: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/messages/icht8a28bb9a/mac https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/messages/icht8a28bb9a/...
  - dingnuts 3y ago
    [flagged]
  - 3y ago

quarkw 3y ago

Like jmondi mentioned, its' the default app for messaging on iPhones. On top of that, switching to upgraded chats by switching platforms is not as easy as it sounds because you need to convince your friends to switch platforms. And that can be a hard ask, especially for friends and family that are less tech-savvy. You could have people only message you via text, instead of iMessage, but doing that reliably is harder than switching platforms, unless you ask someone to disable iMessage in the messages app altogether, and no one wants to do that

k8svet 3y ago

You're missing nothing. Other than the fact that we've systematically decided that the average person is too lay to actively care about privacy and interoperability, and thus we all have to embrace the Stockholm Syndrome of acting like iMessage is respectable, at all. My friend sent me the Beeper Mini article the other week and said "Look, you can have blue bubbles now!". I immediately scoffed - even if it wasn't going to break in a few days, I will never lift a finger to support what Apple is doing with iMessage. Absolutely absurd, even more so absurd the way folks talk about it.

freedomben 3y ago
Same. I've been considering ways to do whatever (infinitesimally small) things I can to help change the culture around "blue bubbles." I love being a "green bubble." Green bubbles are not just "a broke Android user" even though the Apple masses like to spread that image. Green bubbles are a sign of a technological badass, a power user who does things with their devices that Big Gray doesn't think they should be able to. It's the sign of a person who thinks lock-in strategies are gross and an anti-pattern, and is principled enough to vote with their wallet. It's the sign of a non-conformist, a free thinker who makes their own decisions, rather than following the group-thinking masses. A green bubble is the badge of honor that identifies a person who thinks differently. In the end, Apple's strategy will probably win because Machiavellianism works, but that doesn't mean we can't give it a hell of a good run.
- quadrifoliate 3y ago
  I also love being a green bubble, and telling people to use one of the several other secure, cross-platform messengers. I would personally never use Beeper Mini, because anyone in my social circle who cares about "blue bubbles" would be mocked mercilessly. But I also hear all these stories about kids being bullied for having Android phones, and see Apple executives talking about locking entire families into the iPhone ecosystem using iMessage [1] on that basis. To me, this is pretty evil, monopolistic behavior which needs to be regulated out of existence. I'm glad Beeper is bringing it to light. The fact that it doesn't affect me personally is unimportant. ---------------------------------------- [1] https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609/photo/4 https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1589450766506692609/ph...

mrinterweb 3y ago

There isn't much special about iMessage you can't find on other messaging platforms. Since iMessage is the default messaging app, few iPhone users bother installing anything else. Apple doesn't want good messaging compatibility with Android devices because they want to retain iPhone users. For the last couple years, Apple's iPhone innovation has stagnated, and one of the ways they can maintain their market share is by keeping customers in the walled garden.

madeofpalk 3y ago
Globally, most iPhone users install another messaging app.
dwaite 3y ago
> Since iMessage is the default messaging app, few iPhone users bother installing anything else. Moreso, there's no such thing as a default messaging app, just like there's no default phone dialer. The system handles telco messaging and calls. But there's also no real limitations elsewhere as long as you aren't requesting SMS/MMS specifically. I can send an image to someone via Signal just as easily as I can via iMessage - they show up in the same lists. This is different from cross-vendor standard protocols like email, where you may want a mailto: link to compose a mail in the app the user actually has configured. For mail you can configure a default application.
- mrinterweb 3y ago
  I forgot about that. iMessage is the only option for iPhone users receiving SMS. Even more reason to play nice with other non-apple messaging systems. I am an Android user so I forget Apple doesn't allow the same level of customization and changing of system defaults.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

GabeIsko 3y ago

A bunch of hacky comedians deemed it a social fopaux to not be able to afford an iPhone for some reason. I hope they got their tik tok engagement out of it at least.

PrimeMcFly 3y ago

The biggest issue is in the US, most phones are iPhones, so most people are using iMessage by default. Because of Apple's actions, this has led to android users being ridiculously ostracized and discriminated again[0][1]. It's not that there are not alternatives, it's that iPhone users are unlikely to switch to those alternatives, leaving Android users no choice but to continue to be discriminated against if they want to talk to the majority. This a uniquely US thing. It's very strange. [0]https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-teens-dread-the-green-text-bubble-11641618009 https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-... [1]https://www.techdirt.com/2015/02/12/green-bubbles-how-apple-quietly-gets-iphone-users-to-hate-android-users/ https://www.techdirt.com/2015/02/12/green-bubbles-how-apple-...

IshKebab 3y ago
It kind of makes sense though. The dominant messaging app has always varied by region. The US is just really unlucky that the one that won there happens to be owned by Apple. And I say "unlucky" - it's not really luck. iMessage could only ever dominate in the US really because iPhones are very popular there and because SMS is free. In most of the world iPhones aren't nearly as dominant so nobody would use iMessage or they wouldn't be able to talk to half their friends, and there was a much bigger incentive to just ditch SMS-related systems entirely.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago
  I think part of the issue is Apple didn't really indicate to users they were using iMessage, so most people thought they were just using SMS anyway.
mattgreenrocks 3y ago
People are so weird: it used to be that using the Internet a lot was seen as anti-social, now everyone's addicted to phones and if your message bubbles aren't the right color you're the weird one. It's just a stupid chat app. It's completely awful we're strong-armed into having 6 different chat clients that send text messages because of gate-keeping. Chat has been fully commoditized since about 2000 or so.

Miner49er 3y ago

Being an Android user in the US typically comes with getting left out of group messages because most people here just use iMessage. There's not enough users of WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram.

danShumway 3y ago

For me, it's just security, no other reason. > There are plenty of other cross platform applications for messaging that fit the quoted needs. Absolutely, and I encourage people to use them. Unfortunately, I can't force people not to use iMessage. It's not about bullying (I've no doubt that it happens, but it's never happened to me). It's not about social pressure, I couldn't care less if someone wants to make a big deal over me having a green bubble -- don't let the door hit you on your way out. What it is about is the fact that I can't change my family members' behaviors, and the consequence of their behaviors is that all of their messages to me get sent unencrypted. I would like those messages to be encrypted. I can't force them to use a better messenger, so it would be nice if I could on my end make a change that seamlessly, with zero friction on their part, causes their messages to suddenly be encrypted. No, I'm not buying an iPhone, heck off with that garbage. But I would be willing to install a separate app if it meant that my family members on iPhones could instantaneously have their messages encrypted. Barring that, I can keep subtly encouraging them to use any of the other much more secure messaging services available, but... I mean, I don't control their phones. They are adults and they make their own decisions. And Apple doesn't really help here by marketing the Messages app as if it's secure while leaving out the fact in its marketing that a huge portion of the messages it sends have zero security at all. I tell people that we should swap to something else, their response is, "I don't need to, iMessages is secure." It would be secure if you were using it. But when you message me, you're not using it, you're using SMS. > If end users care about “upgraded chats”, they can simply use one of those and ask those whom they message to also use those apps. Like everything else in security, this boils down to the fact that people are apathetic and the people who are security conscious have to try and bend to meet them halfway. Beeper would have been a way for me to bend and meet some of the iPhone users in my life halfway. I'm not buying an iPhone, I'm not giving my family members an ultimatum that I'm going to stop responding to their texts if they don't use the messenger that I want them to use; that would be wildly antisocial behavior for me to engage in. So they'll send all their texts to me in plaintext. As anyone who's tried to use Signal can attest, there is nothing simple about asking people you message to use a different app. And security in specific is a really hard sell for getting people to switch. This is what I keep hammering when I talk about this -- Apple's position on iMessage makes iPhone users less secure. For anyone in my life who is security conscious, we couldn't care less about iMessage, we use actually secure cross-platform messaging services that allow us to actually encrypt 100% of what we send to each other. Emoji reactions do not matter, the problem is that iMessage can't send cross-platform encrypted chats, and Apple's position is that it cares more about whatever weird platform-exclusivity lock-in it thinks its getting than it cares about making sure the messages that iPhone users send are actually encrypted. The motivation here isn't complicated, I want the iPhone users in my life to actually be secure rather than pretending that they're secure. I'll note that the same problem also exists for Android. I'm not singling Apple out here, in practice Android users also send all of their messages to me in plain text regardless of whatever proprietary garbage Google is trying to pass off as message security nowadays. The same problem exists there, I can't get them off of the default messaging app. But on Android, there's not the potential of an app I could install that with no changes to their OS or setup would cause their messages to suddenly start being encrypted.

randyrand 3y ago

market share