Anytime I see an article that even gives a slight glimmer of hope that iMessage might someday become available for Android users, I glom onto it. I don’t necessarily want to glom onto it, but with Google’s apparent inability to create and maintain a solid messaging system for Android users, I can’t help but wish that the Apple gods would have mercy on us with such a valuable gift. I find that I'm having such feelings again today as rumors surface that Apple has at least made mockups of what iMessage might look like on Android, which means that it's possible that they've potentially entertained the idea.
Honestly, when I think back on it I do wonder what happened to Google in the messaging department. When Hangouts first debuted, I was elated. I thought it was awesome, and I loved using it. I was happy that I could use it as my default SMS app on my Android, and that I could still access it when I switched to the iPhone, and furthermore use it from my computer. But at some point, mysteriously, Hangouts stagnated. Updates were slow, promises were broken, and the app became buggy and started lagging. Eventually, I moved on from Hangouts and found other options that worked better.
When I use an iOS device, iMessage always feels polished. iMessage has consistently worked and performed well. From iOS 5 to iOS 10, iMessage is still going stronger than ever.
On the other end of the spectrum, I find that I'm not very happy with my Android messaging experience. My most recent switch to the Galaxy S7 back in May was particularly eye-opening to this issue as I struggled to find something I was happy with. I didn’t like Samsung’s stock messaging app. Hangouts wasn't any better, particularly now that Google appeared to be taking away more than it was giving. Not without options, as Android has a ton of third-party messengers available, I eventually settled on an app called Textra. Textra is a nice app, but I don’t find it to be nearly as useful as iMessage.
Soon after my switch to the S7, Google announced that they were working on another new messaging app. Two, actually: Allo and Duo. While I found some of Allo and Duo’s features appealing, there were ultimately more things wrong with the apps than there were right.
Take for instance the fact that they’re two separate apps. The concept of the two being separated takes away from convenience. Truly, though, my biggest problem is with Allo. Without proper SMS support, it’s useless to me aside from the Google Assistant, which is actually pretty cool. I’m done campaigning for Google’s latest and greatest messaging system. There's no trust that Google is going to maintain this one when it couldn’t maintain all of the others, and people are tired of buying into the hype. It’s either polished and then integrated on every Android device with SMS support, or it’s just not happening. Again.
iMessage, on the other hand, already has the potential to hit it big with U.S. smartphone users. iMessage is a solid messaging platform that I would feel confident recruiting friends to use. Why? Because Apple has shown for the past 5 years that it’s committed to iMessage, and only iMessage. Unfortunately, Apple has also shown that it’s also committed to keeping iMessage on the iPhone, and understandably so. iMessage is often vocalized as being the main reason that many people stick with the iPhone.
Still, I think that bringing iMessage to Android would build Apple's reputation up more than anything else. Would some people take the opportunity to switch to Android if iMessage were available on it? Sure. But I don’t think people would switch in droves. It’s not like the iPhone’s only redeeming feature is iMessage; iPhones are great phones. Android has a vast selection of great phones too, but its messaging system is extremely fragmented. Apple could boost its reputation by providing this valuable service where Android is obviously struggling.
iMessage on Android will probably always be a pipe dream, but occasionally a teeny, tiny sliver of hope pops up that makes me think it’s possible.
