Since the inception of Apple’s proprietary iMessage app, the iPhone and Android ecosystems have been further divided. And with the Cupertino still reluctant to adopt RCS (Rich Communication Service) or the more common messaging system, the issue could persist for more years. Well, Nothing has announced Nothing Chats, which is its new messaging app that may sort of put an end to the ongoing blue bubble vs. green bubble debate.
Nothing said the Nothing Chats is powered by Sunbird, which is a third-party messaging platform. This enables messages including voice notes and images coming from Nothing Phones to be displayed or camouflaged in blue bubbles once viewed on iPhones through iMessage.
The app is putting a temporary solution to the current dilemma of messages from Android phones being shown in green bubble and converted to simple SMS/MMS format on iMessage. But more importantly, it makes it almost impossible for recipients on iOS devices to distinguish (and discriminate) that they’re chatting with an Android user.
Besides the blue bubble wrappings, most iMessage features are supported as well. Nothing confirmed that live typing indicators would be visible on Nothing Chats and iMessage and both single and group messaging are catered. It plans to add message read receipts and on-message reactions and replies later.
Additionally, you’ll need to log in with an Apple ID or create one before using the app. Nothing also highlights some security and privacy measures utilized on Nothing Chats. For example, the Chats messages are said to be using end-to-end encryption and are stored locally on the device and not on Sunbird’s servers.
When can you download Nothing Chats app
As for the availability of Nothing Chats, it will be available first in the UK, the USA, Canada, and EU on November 17th. It is compatible with this year’s Nothing Phone (2) our colleague reviewed. The company didn’t disclose when the app will be released to other markets and the Phone (1) device.
Separately, Sunbird can be downloaded as a standalone app for non-Nothing Android smartphones. However, the access to the messaging service is very limited to a small number of users.
What are your thoughts on the blue bubble vs. green bubble issue? Do you think Apple will later give in and provide support to Android’s messaging? Share with us your answers in the comments.
