Nothing Phone says it will hack into iMessage, bring blue bubbles to Android

Can an Android OEM actually simply hack its approach into Apple’s iMessage? That’s the hard-to-believe plan from upstart phone manufacturer “Nothing,” which says the brand new “Nothing Chats” will enable customers to make use of “iMessage on Android” full with a blue bubble despatched to all their iPhone buddies.

Nothing Chat shall be powered by Sunbird, an app developer that has claimed to have the ability to ship iMessage chats for a couple of yr now, with no public launch. In line with a Washington Post article with quotes from the CEOs of Nothing and Sunbird, Nothing will “begin” rolling out “an early model” of Nothing Chats with iMessage compatibility on Friday. The one catch, supposedly, is that you will want a Nothing Telephone 2.

Is that this for actual or a publicity stunt? Apple is on record saying that iMessage on Android would solely serve to weaken Apple, and it would not wish to try this. Certainly, any Android OEM providing “iMessage” help would instantly have the challenge shut down by Apple.

The quotes within the Submit article from Nothing and Sunbird come throughout as a dare greater than the rest. Nothing CEO Carl Pei informed the paper, “There’s nothing unlawful about this setup. I feel no matter we do is gonna be handed alongside inside Cupertino, however we’re so small that it’ll look actually unhealthy if Apple takes any motion.” Sunbird CEO Danny Mizrahi added, “We don’t see a situation the place Apple tries to, or can, block these messages. Apple’s focus has overtly been on offering one of the best expertise to their finish customers and each Nothing Chats and Sunbird assist with that.”

It is onerous to consider one thing like this might be a long-running service, and it appears destined to be instantly shut down.

The numerous pink flags of Sunbird

Sunbird has claimed to have the ability to ship iMessages on Android for a very long time, has missed its deadline for launch, and customarily would not come off as a severe firm. The corporate introduced itself to the world with the promise of iMessage on Android throughout a press briefing in December 2022. I attended this assembly and didn’t write about it as a result of Sunbird’s suspect presentation didn’t meet my requirements for a narrative. To me, the aim of a press assembly like this may be to beat the skepticism concerning the declare that you can imperviously, completely hack into iMessage. Being trustworthy with the press would have helped, however Sunbird refused to take open questions in its massive debut. Sunbird’s PR particular person accepted and requested all of the questions, the Zoom chat was turned off, and the corporate did not reply a single one of many fundamental technical questions.

How does Sunbird work? Why ought to individuals belief Sunbird with their ultra-important Apple account credentials, which comprise some individuals’s complete on-line lives and, in some instances, a literal bank account? How are these credentials secured? Are they saved on Sunbird’s servers someplace? Would not hacking into iMessage with a third-party consumer violate Apple’s phrases of service, presumably resulting in an account ban? Will not Apple simply shut this down the moment you launch? These are all important and apparent questions that had been requested on the assembly, a few of them by me, they usually all went unanswered. As a substitute, the Sunbird individuals targeted on how nice it could be if the entire world might maintain fingers and share entry to blue-colored chat bubbles. It wasn’t simply ridiculous—the corporate fully did not persuade a skeptical listener that it was for actual or acknowledge that there was any skepticism to beat.

Even in the present day, virtually a yr later, the corporate doesn’t reply these questions in its FAQ. Sunbird has a “Privacy & Security” web page that does not reply something concerning the privateness or safety of your Apple credentials. This firm simply desires to hand-wave away any considerations. To me, with out the corporate providing public, complete explanations round Apple ID safety, it appears onerous to take it critically.