Android has grappled with a persistent challenge concerning iMessage, Apple's exclusive chat platform that dominates the US market, particularly among teenagers. The distinct green chat bubbles associated with Android messages deter many Americans from making the switch due to perceived social stigma. The green vs blue bubble battle has been part of pop culture as well with many songs mentioning the phenomenon. Google has attempted various strategies, even seeking regulatory intervention from the European Commission, but the situation remained largely unchanged for Android users until now.
Nothing, in a YouTube video featuring CEO Carl Pei with a thumbnail titled "Sorry Tim," has unveiled Nothing Chats, a messaging app supporting both RCS and iMessage. Building upon Sunbird, a unified messaging platform in closed beta since last year, Nothing Chats enables users to access all their chats, including iMessage, from a single interface. Sunbird, with a waitlist exceeding 100,000 entries by April, competes with other apps like Beeper, created by Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, to facilitate communication between Android and iPhone users.
With the release of Chats, Nothing not only offers Phone 2 owners the ability to "camouflage" as iPhone users but also provides out-of-the-box support for key iMessage features, such as typing indicators, high-resolution media sharing, and proper group messaging. Read receipts and Tapback reactions will reportedly be added later. Notably, Chats also supports RCS, bringing iMessage-like features to messaging with Android friends.
Pei emphasised the app's goal to address the blue bubble vs. green bubble dilemma in North America, highlighting the importance of freedom of communication regardless of smartphone brand. He reassured users about privacy, stating that no data is saved on the platform. When questioned by YouTuber Marques Brownlee about potential legal action from Apple, Pei expressed belief that the tech giant would "probably do nothing."
Let's end the green bubble stigma!@tim_cook please consider adopting RCS for security and interoperability 🙏 https://t.co/imTMZNCbLq
Nothing Chats is set to be available for download from the Play Store starting November 17. Initially, access requires a Nothing Phone 2, and regional availability is currently limited to the US, Canada, UK, EU, and other European countries, including Norway and Switzerland.