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I don't understand this line of thinking. Even if Apple were to build an iMessage client for Android, do you really believe that the average Android user would

by tshell 3y ago

I don't understand this line of thinking. Even if Apple were to build an iMessage client for Android, do you really believe that the average Android user would install it just to have conversations with those particular users? How would they even know that a user is on iMessage without it already being their default SMS app? Is Apple then really obligated to build an Android app that can facilitate base-level SMS conversations? How is that good for their business or valuable to their customer base?

afavour 3y ago
> Even if Apple were to build an iMessage client for Android, do you really believe that the average Android user would install it just to have conversations with those particular users? Absolutely yes. Apple could also make the Android iMessage app fall back to SMS (IIRC the Android FB Messenger app does something similar) if the user wasn’t on iMessage if they wanted to.
- tshell 3y ago
  Sure, they could do that. But once again, I must ask: How is making an SMS Android app in 2024 good for their business or valuable to their existing customer base?
  - hellcow 3y ago
    Avoiding anti-trust investigations and massive DMA fines sounds mighty good for their business to me.
  - jmholla 3y ago
    > or valuable to their existing customer base? Well, if secure communications is what they're customer base is interested in, it would make sense to provide them a means to use Apple's app to communicate securely with their Android friends.
  - afavour 3y ago
    [best Don Draper impression] That's what the regulation is for! It obviously isn't in Apple's business interest. Regulations primarily exist to force companies to work in the consumers interest even if it's against their business interest. If every regulation was in line with business best interest there wouldn't be any point making them.
vel0city 3y ago
I don't know about the average Android user, but I imagine you'd get a lot of users. I don't really use Apple products, but I do have lots of friends/family that I can't convince to use anything other than iMessage to chat on their phone. I'd literally be the only contact they'd bother talking to not on iMessage. So right now, our experience sending pictures/videos is pretty terrible. I'd install iMessage on my Android device in a heartbeat if it meant I could actually send decently sized photos and videos to them. Doubly so if it meant I could actually participate in their Facetime calls and they could easily Facetime me.
- tshell 3y ago
  I understand that that perspective might be prevalent here on HN. But really, let's try to understand the target market of this theoretical iMessage Android client. It's specifically for folks who: 1. Are committed to only using Android phones (i.e. can't be convinced to get an iPhone). 2. Communicate (or are forced to communicate) over the default messaging experience with primarily iPhone users (remembering that the iMessage / SMS default is mostly just a U.S.-centric thing and cuts out most of the rest of the world). 3. Are willing and able to download a third-party messaging app to address this specific use-case.
  - vel0city 3y ago
    So the market is for people who are: 1. Android Users 2. Probably in the US 3. Who communicate with iPhone users 4. Are willing to download chat apps Do you think this is an incredibly rare group of people? Android has ~40% market share in the US, so there's a lot of Android users out there. It seems extremely likely for an Android user to have some iPhone users they communicate with. And at least in my experiences, people with Android devices are generally willing to install 3rd party chat apps given how terrible Google has been with really making a solid single chat platform for Android. The kind of people who aren't willing to install some chat app are more likely to be iPhone users, given the default chat options on Android are highly fragmented you pretty much need a third-party app to have a decent chat experience.
    - 3y ago

by tshell 3y ago

afavour 3y ago

> Even if Apple were to build an iMessage client for Android, do you really believe that the average Android user would install it just to have conversations with those particular users? Absolutely yes. Apple could also make the Android iMessage app fall back to SMS (IIRC the Android FB Messenger app does something similar) if the user wasn’t on iMessage if they wanted to.

tshell 3y ago
Sure, they could do that. But once again, I must ask: How is making an SMS Android app in 2024 good for their business or valuable to their existing customer base?
- hellcow 3y ago
  Avoiding anti-trust investigations and massive DMA fines sounds mighty good for their business to me.
- jmholla 3y ago
  > or valuable to their existing customer base? Well, if secure communications is what they're customer base is interested in, it would make sense to provide them a means to use Apple's app to communicate securely with their Android friends.
- afavour 3y ago
  [best Don Draper impression] That's what the regulation is for! It obviously isn't in Apple's business interest. Regulations primarily exist to force companies to work in the consumers interest even if it's against their business interest. If every regulation was in line with business best interest there wouldn't be any point making them.

vel0city 3y ago

I don't know about the average Android user, but I imagine you'd get a lot of users. I don't really use Apple products, but I do have lots of friends/family that I can't convince to use anything other than iMessage to chat on their phone. I'd literally be the only contact they'd bother talking to not on iMessage. So right now, our experience sending pictures/videos is pretty terrible. I'd install iMessage on my Android device in a heartbeat if it meant I could actually send decently sized photos and videos to them. Doubly so if it meant I could actually participate in their Facetime calls and they could easily Facetime me.

tshell 3y ago
I understand that that perspective might be prevalent here on HN. But really, let's try to understand the target market of this theoretical iMessage Android client. It's specifically for folks who: 1. Are committed to only using Android phones (i.e. can't be convinced to get an iPhone). 2. Communicate (or are forced to communicate) over the default messaging experience with primarily iPhone users (remembering that the iMessage / SMS default is mostly just a U.S.-centric thing and cuts out most of the rest of the world). 3. Are willing and able to download a third-party messaging app to address this specific use-case.
- vel0city 3y ago
  So the market is for people who are: 1. Android Users 2. Probably in the US 3. Who communicate with iPhone users 4. Are willing to download chat apps Do you think this is an incredibly rare group of people? Android has ~40% market share in the US, so there's a lot of Android users out there. It seems extremely likely for an Android user to have some iPhone users they communicate with. And at least in my experiences, people with Android devices are generally willing to install 3rd party chat apps given how terrible Google has been with really making a solid single chat platform for Android. The kind of people who aren't willing to install some chat app are more likely to be iPhone users, given the default chat options on Android are highly fragmented you pretty much need a third-party app to have a decent chat experience.
  - 3y ago