“Nothing is the first mobile company to offer a solution to one of the biggest frustrations between Android and iOS users. Nothing Chats, powered by Sunbird, allows you to directly message other phone users from your Nothing phone via blue bubbles,” Nothing said on its website.
Blue bubble on Nothing Chats app (Source: Nothing)
The Nothing chats app will also offer RCS messaging, apart from iMessage features like Live typing indicators, voice notes, and full-resolution media sharing. Read receipts, message reactions, and replies will not be available at the launch, but the company has promised that such features will be available in the coming months.
Nothing said that setting up the chats app with iMessage will require users to log in using their Apple ID. It added that the chats will be encrypted end-to-end for privacy.
The company has confirmed that the app is still in its testing phase and will be rolled out for Phone (2) on November 17 only in the US, the UK, and the EU via Play Store. However, it is expected to feature on other Nothing devices and in other regions including India in the coming months.
Recently, Google, along with other European telecommunication companies, has written to the European Commission to label the iMessage service as a ‘core platform service’ under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA). Google has repeatedly criticised Apple for not adopting RCS that allows cross-platform messaging support. Currently, iMessage is limited to Apple’s ecosystem and does not allow sharing high-res media, voice notes, etc, with other platforms.
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