Sunbird could convince many to ditch the iPhone by offering iMessage on Android

iMessage is considered one of Apple’s biggest advantages, locking users into its ecosystem. Because iMessage doesn’t exist on other platforms, and in many circles it is the primary communication service, many who would like to switch to Android don’t, as they would lose access to chat groups and chat history. But one company claims to have developed the solution: Sunbird, an iMessage-compatible Android app.

iMessage on Android could soon become a reality

This isn’t the only solution of its kind, but it promises to be the simplest. Previously, there were services that gave you access to a physical device that you could connect to your own Apple ID and that served as an intermediary between your Android device and those of your callers. But now Sunbird says it has a more efficient solution.

Of course, the app still uses Apple devices in its centers, but it no longer requires one device per user, and can keep thousands of customers on a single device. It’s unclear how this is accomplished, and the company isn’t revealing its secrets. Incidentally, this solution will not become a top open source solution.

Interestingly, though, Sunbird can connect to Apple ID and receive anything you can send via iMessage. So you can receive reactions to messages, send high quality multimedia files, send contacts from your address book, and it all shows up with the famous blue bubbles that are characteristic of Apple’s chat service.

There’s still no ability to send reactions to messages, and message acknowledgement doesn’t work, while you can’t see when someone writes. Still in development, Sunbird doesn’t work perfectly, and some messages never get through.

Sunbird wants to launch in a free version for early adopters, after which it will charge for access to certain services, such as the ability to connect multiple chat services on the same app, like Telegram or Signal.