In countries like the US where the use of third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp isn’t as prevalent, there has been a social divide between Android and iPhone users due to the blue vs green chat bubble debate. The tech company Nothing has come up with a messaging app as a solution to get rid of this friction, at least on its own phones.
Nothing has partnered up with Sunbird Messaging to develop Nothing Chats, which offers support for iMessage. This means that even with its Android phones, you can message your iOS friends using a blue chat bubble instead of green, along with some other compatible features.
The app has full support for group chats, live typing indicators, full-resolution photo and video sharing, and voice notes. As for read receipts, message reactions, and replies, the company said that they will be coming by the end of the year, at least according to MKBHD.
It works by leveraging on Sunbird’s process of creating and validating an Apple ID on an Apple device, which they logs users into the Nothing Chats app. This method actually uses a number of Mac minis across Europe and North America as a waypoint for sending and receiving iMessage-compatible texts and media.
With this, you can login or even sign up for an Apple ID through Nothing Chats without an Apple device. As MKBHD pointed out though, this does pose a security risk as you’re literally inputting your login info into a remote computer, although Nothing claims that all chats on this new platform are encrypted, meaning neither it nor Sunbird has access to your messages or files.
Nothing Chats will be available on the Google Play Store from 17 November, but it will be exclusive to the Nothing Phone (2). Unfortunately, the initial rollout will only cover the US, UK, Canada, and the EU, but the brand states that it’s working on bringing the app to other regions.
(Source: Nothing)
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