[tshell]

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?

[vel0city]

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]

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.

[afavour]

> 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]

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?