Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Explains Why iMessage Hasn't Expanded to Android

iMessage-AndroidIn a wide-ranging commentary piece about WWDC 2016, tech journalist Walt Mossberg included an interesting bit about why Apple has not expanded iMessage to competing software platforms like Android.

When I asked a senior Apple executive why iMessage wasn’t being expanded to other platforms, he gave two answers. First, he said, Apple considers its own user base of 1 billion active devices to provide a large enough data set for any possible AI learning the company is working on. And, second, having a superior messaging platform that only worked on Apple devices would help sales of those devices — the company’s classic (and successful) rationale for years.

Last week, a questionable rumor surfaced claiming that Apple planned to announce iMessage for Android at WWDC 2016, but the keynote passed without any mention. Apple's executive team evidently views iMessage as a big enough selling point to keep it exclusive to Apple devices like the iPhone and Mac for now, despite Android having over 1.4 billion active users worldwide as of September 2015.

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...

Top Rated Comments

JonneyGee Avatar
127 months ago
It's probably better this way anyway. How would we judge Android users if not for the green bubbles?
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)
127 months ago
But wait...Apple doesn't collect user data!
You're confusing analytics with data tied to a specific user.
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
127 months ago
If it isn't cross-platform it is by definition inferior.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3boy Avatar
127 months ago
I can't use iMessage at all because most of my friends rely on WhatsApp :(
My condolences...
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
127 months ago
I can't use iMessage at all because most of my friends rely on WhatsApp :(
Look for new friends. ;)
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
127 months ago
It's mainly due to fragmentation. You see, Android devices have a lot of different screen sizes, and screen resolutions. They have different hardware specifications, and they run different operating systems.

Now, put yourselves in the shoes of the poor Apple programmer faced with this. They have to optimise iMessage emojis and animations for all of those products, to ensure the size and obnoxiousness are consistent on any device.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Opinion | Travel | Iphone | Ipad | Lifestyle