In countries like USA we are not as accustomed to using iMessage as in the United States. However, it could have been very different and who knows if at this point we would be talking about Apple’s messaging service as a fundamental part of our communications, even on Android. In full rise of WhatsApp, Apple wanted to attack it with its own service.
In a leak that TechEmails remembers in Threads (although it was discovered three years ago), we were able to observe the conversation about this between three senior Apple executives. There they discussed the possibility of opening iMessage on Android and how to take advantage of it. It is clear that it did not prosper, but the intentions were serious.
“We need to bring iMessage to Android,” they thought at Apple when Google almost bought WhatsApp
WhatsApp didn’t need Google to be the world’s leading messaging app, even though the Mountain View company was close to buying it a little over a decade ago. Ultimately, it was Facebook (now Meta) which bought it in 2014. Apple did not consider entering into the tender, even if it had its exclusive messaging service ready to compete .
Eddy Cue, Apple’s current head of services, already held this position in 2013. In one of the leaked emails asked Apple to prioritize the implementation of iMessage on Android. It was a “necessity” given the rumors of WhatsApp being bought by Google.
“We really need to bring iMessage to Android. Several people have looked into this topic, but we should move faster and make it an official project. Google will instantly support Messages with this acquisition.”
It’s unclear what Cue was referring to with that last phrase. This could well refer to the fact that Google will hold all users’ messaging data (end-to-end encryption has not been implemented in WhatsApp) or simply that they would win the battle in the instant communication business. In all cases, I felt t he need for Apple to stand up to them
Phil Schiller was the recipient of this email, as he was the primary manager of the company’s marketing area. In his response, he clearly explained why this was not a good idea: “we don’t make money with iMessage”he replied to Cue when asked what his idea was to make Google’s operating system profitable.
In Cue’s later answer, yes directly aimed at Google’s monopoly if you added WhatsApp. He thought Apple should get fully involved in this matter when he saw that the company with the capital “G” was already a leader in search engines, email, free video and web browsers. This, yes, I didn’t know “how to monetize iMessage”even though he continued to urge us to hurry.
“I’m worried about parents buying Android for their kids”
In a conversation of such a level, Craig Federighi could not miss the opinion, who today continues to occupy the same position as then, that of Apple’s vice president of software. Also speaking to Eddy Cue, Federighi also doubted the idea of making iMessage universal and how it could be counterproductive to the company’s business model.
The full answer is clear and not useless:
“Do you have any ideas on how to make the switch from WhatsApp to iMessage attractive to the mass of Android users, who don’t have many friends on iOS? iMessage is a good app/service, but for users, move on to For a social network, we would need something more than a slightly better app (which is why Google is willing to pay $1 billion for the network, not the app).
Without a strategy to become the primary messaging service for the majority of mobile users, I worry that iMessage on Android will end up encouraging iPhone-using families to gift Android phones to their children. »
Eddy Cue remained convinced of the viability of the project and explained it thus:
Although this is almost the end of his response to Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue has given a fundamental key to affirm his belief in bringing iMessage to Android and that is that “Android users use and depend on Apple products”all knowing that this mobile operating system was here to stay.
Leaving aside the question of how to monetize iMessage on Android, Cue defended its position with iMessage Security and Privacy, something that curiously Apple is now using to claim the opposite. However, among those, I considered it could be a good point to gain subscribers on Android.
Furthermore, suggested adding features that eventually came to iMessage in recent years. For example, share location with the other user, create group chats or make payments. Some of these functions ended up being integrated by Apple later than WhatsApp, although at that time (we remember, 2013) they were unprecedented.
Safari on Windows ended up being the best example of why iMessage shouldn’t come to Android
Following the chronological order of Cue’s emails with Federighi and Schiller, the latter returned to the stage to remember the failure of Apple’s browser on Windows.
“This looks like the Safari strategy on Windows. It didn’t work. I think the iTunes logic on Android makes sense. Not iMessage.”
Cue did he give up after this post? Of course not. Actually, He said Safari’s failure on Windows was due to completely different reasons. and unrelated to what might happen with iMessage on Android. For the head of services, Safari failed because of the “lack of innovation and improvements”, which he said was also happening in the Mac environment, in which they were also losing users. All this at the same time as Google Chrome, Cue said, “receives updates every month, whereas we only get updates once a year.”
Cue’s conclusion in this regard, and the last recorded, was:
“Ultimately, you’ll be using the messaging app that lets you reach everyone, not just iOS customers. So we lose messaging on our platform and Google will be left with another key asset on the Internet.”
The last email that appears and that we already understand as definitive to abandon the iMessage mission on Android is from Schiller in response to this latest Cue post. The marketing executive at the time settled the matter by leaving out several key reasons why iMessage is unprofitable:
“iMessage was created as a feature that provides value to our iPhone users. It generates no revenue and is funded through our product margins.
The idea that we should now get into the mail business […] This completely changes our strategy.
[…] Safari lost because a) we weren’t committed to being a great browser developer on Windows and therefore didn’t innovate enough there and b) we spent $0 to market a browser for Windows users. “Google has invested heavily in the engineering of its Windows browser and in its marketing.”
A decade later, the idea of iMessage on Android appears out the window again
The position of closing iMessage to the Apple ecosystem that existed in 2013 remains intact on Apple’s part. It’s unclear if they started handling the idea again internally, but externally they remained opposed whenever asked. However, they may soon have to do so due to a legal imperative.
The European Union has been legislating for some time in favor of users and against monopolies. A few months ago they opened an investigation into Apple to determine to what extent the iMessage system is bad practice according to these monopoly standards. The ultimate goal, if it turns out to be a monopolistic affair, is for iMessage to reach Android.
However, Europe struggles to prove it. Basically because in the end every iOS user could count as an iMessage user, when that’s not necessarily the case. Anyone can own an iPhone and completely ignore the native messaging service and use others like WhatsApp. This is also what is happening in countries like USA where the Meta application is king.
The use of iMessage is more widespread (and controversial) in the United States. The service there is also under investigation for reasons similar to those in Europe. In this territory, it is common to send text messages with the native mobile application and, as you probably already know, from iOS to iOS, iMessage establishes itself with blue bubbles. If it’s from iOS to Android or vice versa, it’s a classic SMS with a green bubble.
Well, this colorful bubble debate is raising issues among young Americans. This is precisely what aroused the interest of American authorities in investigating this matter. However, as in Europe, there is still no conclusion in this regard and iMessage continues as it was designed.
Apple continues to resist pressure by keeping iMessage only on its devices. It only gave way with the RCS standard.
In fact, Apple continues to put obstacles in the way of those who manage to bring iMessage to Android (see the case of Beeper Mini). There Apple’s only transfer was RCS, which won’t really affect iMessage users, but rather the person sending the text messages. The company recently confirmed that this standard will be adopted at the end of this year.
We’ll never know what would have happened if iMessage had come to Android and WhatsApp had been bought by Google. Maybe the Apple app would have managed to turn it around (even buying Meta as it did). However, it remains curious how this could have been considered a serious goal. At least from a convinced Eddy Cue who, obviously, had no other choice but to put the matter aside.
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