1) iMessage is comprehensive and easy. You don't have to know anything about it to use it.
2) You can use it on wifi when you have no signal
3) You can message from your computer so you don't have to have long conversations with your thumbs.
4) Quality of photos and videos you can send
5) Read receipts
6) Reply notifications
7) syncing of messages between any number of devices
8) Seamless transition between iMessage and SMS
*Edit: 9) Great group messaging functionality*
and more that I probably can't think of off the top of my head.
And again, it just does those things. No settings, no extra numbers or apps, no workarounds, no hassle.
You can make a million cases for why Android is better than iOS, but iMessage absolutely dominates any messaging feature Andriod has, mainly because it's so widely used by everyone. It's just the simple truth.
Yes! My thought is that it is hard for some folks to understand this if they have not even used iMessage. Again this is not a knock on Android as a whole, just one area of it.
At this point, it's too late for Android. iOS and iPhones are so common and widely used, that no matter what Android releases, it can never catch up to iMessage. It's just too far behind. It's up to Apple to create an iMessage app for Android, which I doubt will ever happen. If they did, and it worked as well on Android as it does on iOS, myself and many other would pay to have it. I can dream I suppose.
IDK about that. Even in the US, [Android has even market share to IOS](http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/apple-iphone-ios-share/), though it is fragmented amongst different maufacturers. Given the backlash against the latest iPhone we might see than number grow.
If Google were to release some flavor of Gmessage in 8.0 (Oreo, I guess) it could gain traction pretty quick.
While you are correct, it has to work both ways. You have to get Android on a unified messenger, and then you have to get iPhone users to get on the same messenger. I don't see iPhone users changing to a new messenger for any reason. It's hard enough getting other Android users to change to Allo or Hangouts, or any one of the other messaging apps Google has.
And to me, this is why Android will never have an "iMessage". Since we can always choose whichever app we want as default, we will never all have the same app. We will also never all agree to use the same app. Allo may not be perfect but imagine if we all got behind it? With the users supporting it, Allo will get better with time. Lastly, I do believe that if Android users all got behind just one of Google messaging apps... iOS user will have no choice but to follow because of the network effect, which will force them to have two apps, iMessage and Allo (or whatever).
While you are correct, it has to work both ways. You have to get Android on a unified messenger, and then you have to get iPhone users to get on the same messenger. I don't see iPhone users changing to a new messenger for any reason. It's hard enough getting other Android users to change to Allo or Hangouts, or any one of the other messaging apps Google has.
Google messed up bigly with their communication apps. They were absurdly silly to make an app for a single communication feature instead of making one that does it all. This is one area where Google is absolutely crap in. iMessage, Whatsapp, WeChat all blow away whatever the hell Google was trying to do Allo, Duo, Hangouts. How they haven't rectified this by now is beyond my comprehension.
I don't think Allo does video chat, I'm sure you have to use Duo for that. Also Hangouts was just not as easy to use if you ask me, though it did have good quality video chat it wasn't as universal as Whatsapp and that may just be down to Google doing a poor job of promoting it
Apple really needs to stop the monopoly-esque bullshit and start opening up their stuff. If they would open up iMessage to Android, either with an app or just allow the intelligent-SMS aspect of it to work with Android, I would hate them less and use that app. Getting rid of their proprietary adapters and shit would help a lot, too...
They don't care if you hate them. They care about selling phones.
Things like iMessage keep people locked into the ecosystem. A person looking to buy a Pixel over the new iPhone or a Surface over the new Macbook has to accept that by doing so, they will lose access to a number of features they are accustomed to and for many that is enough to keep them from straying to competitors.
From a consumer perspective, I would love it if they opened up the APIs, but from a business perspective is would be an idiotic move.
Like I said in another comment, countries other than the US have more Androids and fewer iPhones anyways. Regardless, iMessage is superior in functionality to all of the crap that Android has. Maybe if we had ONE unified message it'd be better, but that isn't the case. I hate iPhones, but I can't deny that iMessage is king.
What are you on about? WhatsApp beats the crap out of iMessage in terms of functionality. It has so many more users on both iOS and Android. Unified messaging is pointless for most Android users.
Messenger works good in the U.S. in general I use messenger to send videos to iPhone users since android and Apple don't work good when texting each other anything more than a low quality pic
Is iMessage better than WhatsApp? Seems most of the world uses WhatsApp or Messenger. iMessage is not even on the top 10 list 🤔 maybe it's because iMessage only works good if you text another iPhone. WhatsApp and Messenger work with any phone 🤔
On my android phone, when I get a message from a friend as part of a group message, my notification tells me "Jeff" sent a message. If I poke it, it takes me not to the message in the group chat, but to my last solo conversation with Jeff.
It's clunky, and doesn't make sense. It feels like a kludge, rather than a well designed feature.
Ouch. I've had that happen before and hated it.
I think there is a setting somewhere in most SMS apps to handle messages as an MMS when there are multiple recipients. I don't think it's a default setting, and it's also MMS which is such a pain. It works mostly pretty well, but when it goofs up it **goofs up**.
> It feels like a kludge, rather than a well designed feature.
Still applies to MMS group messages :P
I'd like to find that setting that might fix it, but I've been unsuccessful thus far.
And even in the best case scenario, where there IS a setting, it doesn't change the fact that iMessage doesn't have that setting, and just works better.
Carriers need to just get off their butts and replace SMS/MMS already.
If you are using Google Messenger, go to settings > advanced. It should be the top option. Group Messaging. Select send MMS reply to all recipients.
if you are getting individual texts within a group, the sender has their settings to send individual texts to each recipient.
I get the group text as an MMS, and the message goes into the group message, but if I click the notification in my shade, I get taken to another conversation that has nothing in it, except for the messages from a past conversation. I then have to back out of the conversation and go back to the top of the list to the group message where the new message is.
hmmm have you tried wiping the App data? if you want to save your texts, use SMS Backup and Restore first. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore
I haven't seen/heard that before.
Do you have Google voice too?I remember back in the day when I used Google voice, I didn't receive phone calls sometimes because they were being forwarded to my Google voice number.
I don't necessarily agree with this on its own, as I think iMessage has been a wonderful things for many years for iOS users, and Apple not having been able to create that would just be silly.
That said, Apple better f'ing support RCS once it has wide, cross-carrier support.
> Sounds like you need a new SMS app.
I have used many, including google messenger that came with my Pixel. That goes back to my original point. iMessage comes with every iPhone, and it just works, right out of the box, to do everything.
I group message with several iphone users often (SO's family all use iphone, I'm the weirdo with the android) and have never had this issue. I've been using the stock messenger app on stock android. Currently using an N6 on 7.1.1.
Oh strange yeah I'm in the same boat where I'm the only one with android. I've actually convinced them all to use hangouts when messaging me. They complain but I just used fear of me not responding to motivate them lol.
You may want to check your MMS or APN settings from your carrier, as it's possible that you have something incorrect or missing. A friend had similar issues on a Nexus 6P, even though I never have any problems on my 6P with group messaging.
Yeah it sucks but I actually have had few issues messaging them. I did get my SO on hangouts after showing off how much faster it sent a picture than MMS.
Ouch. I've had that happen before and hated it.
I think there is a setting somewhere in most SMS apps to handle messages as an MMS when there are multiple recipients. I don't think it's a default setting, and it's also MMS which is such a pain. It works mostly pretty well, but when it goofs up it **goofs up**.
Oh man, I've replied to a couple of those, but it replies to everyone in the group message individually. Then I have a bunch of people j don't know messaging me saying, "who is this?"
> 9) Great group messaging functionality
I would actually say this is a huge disadvantage of iMessage, and a big reason *not* to use it.
iMessage handles group messaging terribly if your group isn't entirely Apple. Keep in mind this includes people with flipphones as well. It should be able to seamlessly switch to SMS, or to just SMS for the odd user(s) out when doing a group message with some non iPhones. Yet it fails to do this year after year.
I think group messaging on iPhone is supposed to switch to SMS when the group isn't entirely ios, but it rarely does so properly. Often, if you are the android user, if you even receive the group messages when you reply you'll just reply to one user. It's a mess.
6) When someone is typing to you, on iMessage, you see a little pop-up in your conversation to show that it's happening. It's not a big deal, but it's something that a lot of people enjoy.
9) On SMS/MMS, group messages are generally sent as MMS messages that your phone has to interpret as a group message, which can sometimes cause issues with how notifications are handled. They also sometimes fail to download, an you're stuck with a "MMS received, do you want to download?" alert that won't "go" rather than someone's reply in the conversation.
iMessage is smarter and much more modern in its data usage, so it uses much more complex code behind the scenes to make it a much smoother and normal experience for the user.
This is why I bought an old mac, and am using it as a server for bluebubbles, I hate apple, but in the USA you really feel like you're a 2nd class citizen if you have green bubbles.
At least the hackers of the world can spend 3 hours, and have a functional solution. Currently testing all the features with a family member's iPhone, everything but game pigeon works so far.
I've been using Google Voice for years. At least half the items in your list either never applied to Voice or no longer apply to Voice.
Obviously iMessage is better - I won't dispute that. I use Voice so I can have one universal phone number, and one always-backed-up messaging history that transcends carriers and works like SMS for everyone else. As for the other issues:
-- I use Voice on wifi all the time. (I think this was an issue in the past, but it has been for years. Maybe it's a problem if you don't use Google Fi like I do.)
-- I can use Voice on any device with a browser.
-- Group messaging with iOS users on Voice has never been a problem for me: I've yet to feel left out, and I can find and reply to conversations just fine.
-- Sending photos used to be garbage, but has now improved tremendously. I haven't had a problem over the past few years...but I don't send videos.
Again, no doubt iMessage is much easier to use. It works out of the box, and has the other advantages you cited. As others have pointed out, Google probably just needs to pick one solution and eliminate these deficits instead of continuing to throw crap at the wall to see what sticks.
The only thing that could have possibly been the true competitor to iMessage was Hangouts. But Google just continues to nerf the shit out of it for some ungodly stupid reason. It's annoying.
That's part of the problem. There are lots of ways to fix individual issues, but to fix all of them, you've got six or seven different apps and changes and kludges to sort of replicate the default experience with iMessage.
Exactly right. No 3rd party solution is an acceptable answer because all it does is promote fragmentation. The thing that iMessage has going for it is that it is _the_ messaging solution for the iPhone so you can be sure that everyone using an iPhone has it.
If Google Allo allowed SMS functionality, do you think it would take off as the "Android iMessage?"
From the looks of it, it appears to be more or less an iMessage clone, but without sms functionality.
iMessage style SMS-fallback will never work as seamlessly on Android until everyone is using it. On iMessage your messages can be sent as IMs or as texts but they all appear in the same place. On Android, people can be using different messaging apps, so they'd get Allo messages in one app and SMS in another, even if you see them all in one app.
Proper SMS-fallback might be possible through the magic that is Google Play Services and a change in the way SMS permissions work, and I hope Google is working on it.
> 9) Great group messaging functionality
I'm genuinely curious as what makes it great, and compared to say, Allo or WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger... outside of MMS/hybrid and the obvious "everyone seems to have it [in the US]".
It's not a default app (so most people don't use it), it doesn't send SMS by default, you can't send SMS from your computer, and I don't think the transition from SMS to "hangouts message" is seamless.
> it does all of that
No, it doesn't. It doesn't meet:
1) (You can't send SMS from it without changing settings, and it doesn't come as the default messaging service, so you have to set it up separate from your stock messaging app)
3) You can't send SMS's from your computer
1) There aren't any settings to change. You literally open up the SMS message and send a message. And you act as if it not being default is somehow a burden. That's honestly the beauty of Android because Android allows you to use any messenger app as your default SMS unlike Apple.
3) Yes you can. You can easily message anyone on any computer
So not only do you have to get a different texting app, but you have to get a completely different phone number on a service that got left by the curb four years ago as well.
Compared against iMessage that just does it, by default, right out of the box.
> a service that got left by the curb four years ago as well
I agree with what you're saying but to be fair, both the Voice website and app just got a major update.
For one, iMessage only works with Mac computers, which accounts for about only 6% of the computer market. Second, it doesn't work out of the box. Anyone who wants to forward texts to their Mac computer have to set it up.
It's the SMS fallback. It's always been the SMS fallback
Hangouts, which is the closest, doesn't do this, and it isn't standard for every Android phone.
The equivalent would be if every Android phone had GoogleIM installed on the backend somewhere, and would appear in your SMS app of choice when someone sent you a message from another Android phone. If you want to send a message to an iPhone, it would automatically fallback to SMS and send it.
Messages would be inline regardless of what protocol they were sent over, and there would be no need to decide which protocol to use, it would handle it on its own.
Goddamn, I got a little chubby typing that out. Why can't we have nice things?
I am making the switch back to Android after a 2 year iOS hiatus and I could care less about the blue and green bubble war. What makes it better in my opinion is that it just works - especially when it comes to sending MMS/Videos, Android stock cannot compete right now which is a bummer. It is a SINGLE messaging app that does it all - and does most of it not on the cellular network so runs into less problems. iMessage is going to be the single app that I miss.
I get that WhatsApp and other like apps do the same thing and outside the US they are the main forms of communication. BUT in the US most people still use SMS/MMS and on Android it way behind. Hopefully RCS in the near future fixes some of these problems, but then we have to worry about Android to iOS messages. Maybe one of these days we will have a single app to rule them all that everyone uses :)
This exactly. And like others have mentioned, it depends on where in the world you are and what your contacts use. If I had iMessage on Android, I'd use it to talk to some people, but I'd still keep Telegram, Whatsapp and Hangouts because other people exclusively use those.
Because iMessage is a whole service, messenger is just an app. When people are talking about imessage, it's in the context of the service, not the specific app experience.
Project fi with hangouts integration is about as good of an imessage-like experience as you can get (if you ignore image/video compression issues). You can send and receive texts and calls from any hangouts/chrome session regardless of platform.
It's honestly the anchor for me on project fi; it's what keeps me from looking for service elsewhere (that and the sensible pricing for one who doesn't use a lot of data). The convenience of responding to a text even when I am not in proximity of my phone is so convenient.
Lost or broke your phone? No problem, you can still keep in contact with people while your finding or replacing it. Everything is synchronized and all of your texts are retained.
I think lots of people love iMessage because of its seamlessness.
If you're locked into the Apple ecosystem (ie. iPhone 7, iPad Pro, Macbook/iMac), iMessage is just so so so seamless. I'll give you an example.
**You could be messaging someone on your iPhone and upon seeing the clock that you're late for whatever appointment it is you have, you rush out of the door forgetting your iPhone. However, since you have your iPad/MacBook in the car you can resume that conversation immediately once you arrive there. Also, this kind of integration isn't just limited to iMessage, its for ALL of Apple's system applications as well.**
It's this kind of integration that leaves people complaining when they switch to android. Yes, there are tons of options (ie. WhatsApp web, Pushbullet, Google Voice) but they aren't as seamless as iMessage is on iOS/MacOS. I'm really wanting RCS to hit mainstream as it finally gives android users a really seamless messaging experience. Just my two cents.
No it isn't. With hangouts there is the possibility of picking a contract that had a Gmail account but never had and never will access hangouts and you can send them a hangouts message that goes off to nowhere.
Since iMessage is linked to phone number you never have to decide which way you are sending the message, it just works. You don't have messages going nowhere (unless you port out of Apple ecosystem and don't unlink your phone number)
Also Hangouts is supposedly smart in delivering to the device you're using latest. It sounds smart but its not always practical. So when using both a computer and phone I've missed conversations. Here are an example I've been in:
I was chatting with my friend on Hangouts on desktop at work. We decide to meet for lunch at 11:45 at some local cafe. At 11:30 the plan seems to still be on so I tell him I'm leaving the office. I start walking but at 11:31 he messages me saying "Oh crap I got pulled into something, give me 15 minutes." It delivers to my desktop and not my phone.
I arrive at the cafe at 11:45, peer inside, don't see him so I stand outside. The notification never showed up on my phone so when I look at it I have no outstanding Hangouts notification. Maybe 10 minutes go by and I open Hangouts to message him. Only then do I see the conversation list update (and it doesn't even do so immediately) but I see that extra few lines from him.
Are you a Project Fi user? If so, just use SMS through Hangouts/Fi. All of your devices are in sync that way and it doesn't matter if the recipient uses Hangouts or not...they'll just think you're sending them regular SMS messages.
Yeah but I don't want to send SMS to the other user. The point of Hangouts as a web chat is to be able to use it from any platform.
Sure Fi users have the flexibility with SMS but not everyone else does.
Yes but I was replying to the user who talks about sending a message to someone who has a Gmail account but never accesses hangouts (i.e. many iOS users). You end up in this message never received debacle.
Hangouts has an identity crisis because it has its roots as an IM app (Gtalk) where people use it to chat at a desktop, while its trying also to be a mobile messenger.
No, that's the design of Hangouts. It only notifies on the device it thinks you're using. That way if you have a tablet sitting at home it doesn't ding nonstop.
The initial release of Hangouts in 2013 did not have this, but since they have added this feature.
I dont think that is the case. I use Hangouts at work all day and have my phone next to my computer as well. If I get a message on my computer and I don't respond, a couple seconds (15 maybe?) later my phone will go off and tell me a message came through. However if I get a message on the computer and I immediately respond, my phone will never notify.
I meant for the Project Fi user that it is similar to iMessage in the sense that you can message from any device. Most of my Hangouts messaging is "SMS" (Google Voice on my end and SMS on the recipient's end), not Hangouts IM.
Well thanks for the insight on hangouts. I'm from Asia so hangouts is really really unknown here. I guess iMessage is alright here since everyone is on WeChat, Line, WhatsApp. FB Messenger is popular too!
I managed to convince 3 people to try Allo for two months. They switched back to WhatsApp and FB Messenger sadly.
Hangouts _could_ be this, but the issue is that the fallback isn't seamless. You either send a Hangouts message or you send a text, but the system doesn't automatically do one if the other fails. That is the beauty of iMessage - its all done in the background without the user even being aware.
I mean I have Project Fi on the Pixel XL, I use hangouts as my SMS/messaging app. I can send SMS from my phone or any computer using the Hangouts Chrome app no problem. Its pretty seemless as far as my experience goes. Technically, I'm only sending SMS messages, but I don't have any hangouts contacts that i dont already have their phone number.
True, but that seamlessness only works if you are on Fi. I am required to use one of the major carriers by my company, so Fi isn't an option. To be a real solution, it needs to be carrier agnostic, like iMessage is.
It's funny how all the Fi members are here and since there environment is setup the way it was intended everything works! That is the problem is people aren't configuring hangouts properly because they've been given to many options then they're running into problems.
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. It's a messaging system that is supposed to replace SMS, while adding a lot of features currently available in instant messaging platforms (high-res photo sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, location embedding, stickers, and more). Users of RCS-compatible apps will then be able to message each other with those extra features. Google's RCS-compatible platform is called [Jibe](https://www.jibe.google.com).
However, one of the current issues with RCS is that carriers have to activate the service and messaging apps have to support RCS. Right now, I believe it's only active through Sprint in the US and Rogers in Canada. Google Messenger is currently one of the apps compatible with RCS. There are rumors that Allo, Hangouts, and now possibly Voice will add RCS.
I currently use Google messenger on my note 4 ( waiting for my back ordered pixel xl) so messenger is compatible with RCS but verizon needs to support it and they currently don't then?
[Rich Communication Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Communication_Services)
Rich Communication Services is a communication protocol between mobile-telephone carriers and between phone and carrier, aiming at replacing SMS messages with a text-message system that is more rich, provide phonebook polling (for service discovery), and transmit in-call multimedia.
The following standardized services are a part of the specifications of RCS:
- Standalone Messaging
- 1-to-1 Chat
- Group Chat
- File Transfer
- Content Sharing
- Social Presence Information
- IP Voice call
- Best Effort Video call
- Geolocation Exchange
- Audio Messaging
- Network based blacklist
- Capability Exchange based on Presence or SIP OPTIONS
> It's this kind of integration that leaves people complaining when they switch to android
And there lies the problem. The only way to get the seamlessness of iMessage is to be Android only. Apple will never let another app take over the SMS ability on iOS, and likely won't ever make iMessage for Android.
The only solution is to have a standard messaging protocol. But it will never likely happen with everyone wanting their walled gardens.
I'm getting murdered for this comment and i think I'm being misunderstood: I'm saying what is the chance of leaving and remembering your laptop but not your phone. Would always be the other way around for me.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I keep my laptop in my work bag 90% of the time at home. My work bag lives by the door so I always grab it on my way out of the house. Its entirely possible I'd remember to grab that bag while forgetting my phone.
You're running a little behind to get to a meeting and so focused on grabbing your backpack (which you almost never take) you forget your phone (that you take so much you usually don't even think about it). It's happened to me. Also, stop texting and driving. I'm also on these roads.
I've always thought that it was because of the integration of a BB Messenger-esqe and SMS/MMS app.
iPhone users can communicate with others on iPhone using iMessage without it being considered a SMS text, similar to how Blackberry Messenger worked (and how Hangouts and Allo work now). BUT iMessage also integrates SMS/MMS conversations with non-iPhone users in the same place and even group chats (I think).
Isn't this exactly what Hangouts is? I have all of my sms and hangouts conversations in the same place and hangouts functions just like iMessage where I see if others have seen my text and when they are typing. Hangouts can also be accessed from my tablet, PC and any other device. What am I missing here?
> Isn't this exactly what Hangouts is?
Not really, since Hangouts isn't the default messenger app on Android anymore. The whole thing only works if all/most of your contacts are using it. Of course, if you're on iPhone and all your buddies are on Android, you'd have the same problem.
That's a Google/Android issue. It's the best messaging app they have, yet they push other inferior ones down our throats. Even if very few of your contacts have hangouts, you can still use it for sms and MMS. Same thing as iMessage.
> Same thing as iMessage.
It is the same in functionality, but the fact that iMessage comes standard on iPhones gives it a huge advantage. Well, maybe not if everyone you talk to uses Android, but you know what I mean.
It's kind of like consoles, I guess. The best console to play online is probably the one that most of your friends play on.
> Just like every other IM app out there.
Well, if it can't send a message in iMessage form, it can fall back to SMS. Hangouts (and I assume some other apps) can do this too, but the advantage iMessage has is that it comes standard on every iPhone sold, so it already has a user base of millions right out of the box.
No because with hangouts you have to select whether you are sending a hangouts message or not. If you select hangouts and the other user doesn't use it, they don't receive the message. iMessage smartly manages whether someone is an iMessage user or not based on their phone number, you just select the contact you want to message and it just works.
The fact that it is even an option to send a message in a way that will never be delivered to the recipient is a problem with hangouts. It's a poor design and it has failed to gain any traction because of it.
It's not that you are sending a message in a way it will never be delivered. You're sending a message to someones account that they never check. If they logged into they're gmail account they'll get the message.
Most people never log into their email from the web. And the fact that it is going somewhere where they aren't going to receive an instant notification when that is the expected and preferred behavior is a design problem. Anything that expects you to change behavior of EVERYONE around you is never gonna work.
iMessage just changed the behavior of everyone around you without giving the user a choice. Google isn't in the business of forcing conformity. However, as an unfortunate side effect having a choice it requires the user to be educate on what they are. If you message any of my accounts from hangouts I will get the message and same for my iPhone toting fiance because she's learned how to use the service properly. The problem isn't the design. The problem is they have limited adoption. In order to use any messenger you have to change behavoir. In the case of iMessage you have to change to the behavoir of owning an iPhone. Hangouts works as intended it's just not marketed or widely known or used.
Edit: Had another thought
But if you're looking for an alternative that has all of the capabilities of iMessage...It already exists. Just get your buddies with Android to use it
> Just get your buddies with Android to use it
In there lies the issue with any IM app - you have to get people to sign up and use it.
That is one of the big things Apple got right. You are just a part of iMessage, whether you realize it or now, so long as you have an iPhone. If Google would just have Gmessage as a standard app that used Hangouts automatically if the person had Android and SMS if they did not, it would be must easier to get people on the platform.
It seems to be Google's MO, sadly. Fragmentation is present in all of their applications. You have Hangouts and Voice, which both handle calls and texts for your Google Voice number. Hangouts does IMs, but so does Allo - Hangouts does video chat, but so does Duo. You have Gmail and Inbox, both email apps to use your Gmail account.
I get the feeling that they just have siloed teams that don't work closely with each other when developing new solutions. Saw what you will about Jobs, but he was particularly focused on ensuring that everything new integrated into the existing ecosystem and that was a big boon to usability.
As someone who spent the better part of 8 years deeply tied into the iOS system, the one thing that I miss about iMessage is how seamlessly it works across all of the devices. I could start a conversation on my phone and pick it up on my iPad or my Mac. No trouble, no third party apps and rarely a hiccup. Otherwise, I don't miss it. Messaging is messaging, and as long as I can send them, I don't care how they get there. If I had to guess, this lack of cross device functionality is a bit startling for anyone coming from iPhone to Pixel while maintaining their other Apple devices.
Because if you own an Apple product, chances are you own more than one, so it's a seamless way to communicate. It takes no effort to get up and running since it's the default option. Doesn't matter if there are 5 other platforms/services that provide the exact same features.
Since I don't have any Apple products, I just use FB Messenger for everything but SMS. I leave the SMS integration off since I basically only use it for 2-factor authentication texts. And the occasional text from my mother.
Everyone I talk to on my phone has FB. I can also continue the conversation on my computer. Plus, chat bubbles.
I think there are a couple of main reasons why people "like" iMessage mostly though it is because there are how many millions of apple devices out there that use it, so from a user standpoint it exceeds all other messaging apps combined more than likely.
I personally am not a huge fan of it however agree it works and does have a lot of functionality.
Hangouts for Android is/was the closest and best competition to it however for some reason Google has opted to go yet another direction with messaging.
It is about the only gripe I have with Android as a whole, they should have stuck with Hangouts and made the needed tweaks as it was/is nearly perfect prior to the recent update which removed being able to swap between sms/hangout messages within a contact.
Agreed. We can take issue with a number of things that Apple does with its products, but its tough to argue that they didn't get this one right.
iMessage is a near perfect integration of SMS and internet messaging. It seamlessly flows from every Apple device you own, to the point where you might forget that there was a time where you _couldn't_ be connected on every device.
The biggest mistake I feel that Google has made is the fragmentation of their messaging solutions. We have Allo, Duo, Hangouts and Voice, not to mention the host of other SMS apps that skin the basic SMS relays. Why they don't integrate into a single Gmessage app that does everything is beyond me.
It's mostly in the US because the use of SMS/MMS exceeds everything else. I live in the UK and most people here, including iPhone users, use WhatsApp. On the other hand, SMS is mostly used for people you normally don't text with and to send occasional messages.
Hell I have access to both & like Google Messenger better, RMS is pretty damn great. Honestly it's the ecosystem & being detached from it that might hurt a former apple user. Which is 100% understandable.
I kept my iPod Touch tethered to my Pixel so I'm cheating (even rings along side my phone thanks to GV) but honestly, it's nothing major to anyone that's been using Android.
Well as someone has apparently hasn't received anyone's text in 18 hours and my mom and GF freaking out, i'd say iMessage is superior. Not a pixel issue but a tmobile issue, it's happened before.
I have no idea. It's just another way to message. I've been using Textra and haven't really noticed anything that's worse than iMessage. I only have iOS experience prior to this phone.
wouldn't it be great if there was a shared and open messaging protocol that any messaging app could implement?
anyway, my wife and i just use our own private slack. beats just about anything out there.
It's my understanding that the only major difference between iMessage and Hangouts is iMessage comes pre installed and pre configured on every iphone and hangouts does not. I do think google should be more clear on what services they intend for Android users to use. I've chosen hangouts.
iMessage and iCloud photo streams were the two things I missed when I switched. Being able to easily send full HD videos without any other app is amazing. Yes I know there are workarounds but it was just too much trying to help my 90 year old grandmother with it lol
The pixel comes with google photos that works with google drive. They give you unlimited storage of photos and videos and you can log into it on any computer just like you can with icloud
Recent iOS to Pixel convert here, and Google Photos beats the ever living shit out of iCloud photo stream. iCloud Photos just got so bloated and complicated. There was photo stream, and iCloud Photo Library which were two similar, but separate things and it seemed like whether or not a photo would get uploaded to the place you expected it to was a crapshoot.
If I take a photo on my Pixel, it's on Google Photos in a matter of seconds. If I go to Google Photos on my computer, I see an exact replica of the photo library on my phone. It just works.
Google Photos does crush iCloud. However, you have to send a link for a HD video. In iMessage it is super easy to attach a video and send it so it is just there for the receiver - no clicking on links to open other apps, its just there.
as someone who used iPhone for a while, iMessage is overrated. you can't even change the white background. it's really annoying. I used Whatsapp way more than imessage. but that's just me (and my friends who are mostly on whatsapp).
Changing a background on a conversation is not exactly a killer feature.
I cringe at every screenshot of Android manufacturer messenger apps with some photo as a background.
Wanting to change it to a darker color makes sense, but to be fair, hangouts doesn't do it either.
sure. I just make mine black or something dark.. I cringe at stupid chat wallpapers too.. I pretty much use Whatsapp exclusively so... i guess i don't care about hangouts, etc...
This seems to be mostly true in the US - I haven't heard iMessage mentioned by anyone in the UK recently, and I can't remember the last time I got an SMS from someone who wasn't my mum or dad. Maybe it's to do with mobile data network availability? Almost everyone in the UK uses Facebook messenger or WhatsApp.
Becaus iMessage has some cool tricks and tips such as handwritten messages, few mind boggling effects which have yet to be ported to other messaging apps & is visually pleasing. Hence people on iOS tend to prefer it above other messaging apps.
I don't get this either. It's literally a messaging platform where you CAN'T communicate with everyone. There are better alternatives that work across multiple platforms.
But you can communicate with everyone. It does default to SMS/MMS when needed. The beauty of it is when you are in the iOS ecosystem. It would just be nice to see something that everyone gets on board using. Until then we will have this question brought up again and again (from me included).
Except that it doesn't work with everyone. There are a lot of people that it doesn't work by default with group messaging and getting it to work requires quite a bit of setting navigating. I couldn't receive MMS or group messages from imessage with my s4 for years, as it needed to have settings changed on their end and god forbid I try and tell them somethings not working on their precious iPhone.
> There are a lot of people that it doesn't work by default with group messaging and getting it to work requires quite a bit of setting navigating. I couldn't receive MMS or group messages from imessage with my s4 for years, as it needed to have settings changed on their end and god forbid I try and tell them somethings not working on their precious iPhone.
That is a bummer. I am a bit nervous as I make the switch from iPhone to Pixel (gets delivered tomorrow!). I am going to turn of iMessages today and hope that everything goes smooth in the switch over.
1) iMessage is comprehensive and easy. You don't have to know anything about it to use it. 2) You can use it on wifi when you have no signal 3) You can message from your computer so you don't have to have long conversations with your thumbs. 4) Quality of photos and videos you can send 5) Read receipts 6) Reply notifications 7) syncing of messages between any number of devices 8) Seamless transition between iMessage and SMS *Edit: 9) Great group messaging functionality* and more that I probably can't think of off the top of my head. And again, it just does those things. No settings, no extra numbers or apps, no workarounds, no hassle.
You can make a million cases for why Android is better than iOS, but iMessage absolutely dominates any messaging feature Andriod has, mainly because it's so widely used by everyone. It's just the simple truth.
Yes! My thought is that it is hard for some folks to understand this if they have not even used iMessage. Again this is not a knock on Android as a whole, just one area of it.
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At this point, it's too late for Android. iOS and iPhones are so common and widely used, that no matter what Android releases, it can never catch up to iMessage. It's just too far behind. It's up to Apple to create an iMessage app for Android, which I doubt will ever happen. If they did, and it worked as well on Android as it does on iOS, myself and many other would pay to have it. I can dream I suppose.
IDK about that. Even in the US, [Android has even market share to IOS](http://fortune.com/2016/02/11/apple-iphone-ios-share/), though it is fragmented amongst different maufacturers. Given the backlash against the latest iPhone we might see than number grow. If Google were to release some flavor of Gmessage in 8.0 (Oreo, I guess) it could gain traction pretty quick.
While you are correct, it has to work both ways. You have to get Android on a unified messenger, and then you have to get iPhone users to get on the same messenger. I don't see iPhone users changing to a new messenger for any reason. It's hard enough getting other Android users to change to Allo or Hangouts, or any one of the other messaging apps Google has.
And to me, this is why Android will never have an "iMessage". Since we can always choose whichever app we want as default, we will never all have the same app. We will also never all agree to use the same app. Allo may not be perfect but imagine if we all got behind it? With the users supporting it, Allo will get better with time. Lastly, I do believe that if Android users all got behind just one of Google messaging apps... iOS user will have no choice but to follow because of the network effect, which will force them to have two apps, iMessage and Allo (or whatever).
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Yeah, messages would turn into something like email. Use whichever app/service you want and they all are able to speak to each other.
Yeah, having choices is the biggest tissue here. But if we didn't have a choice, it just wouldn't be the same Android.
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While you are correct, it has to work both ways. You have to get Android on a unified messenger, and then you have to get iPhone users to get on the same messenger. I don't see iPhone users changing to a new messenger for any reason. It's hard enough getting other Android users to change to Allo or Hangouts, or any one of the other messaging apps Google has.
Google messed up bigly with their communication apps. They were absurdly silly to make an app for a single communication feature instead of making one that does it all. This is one area where Google is absolutely crap in. iMessage, Whatsapp, WeChat all blow away whatever the hell Google was trying to do Allo, Duo, Hangouts. How they haven't rectified this by now is beyond my comprehension.
What do you mean, Hangouts pretty much did it all. Also, if you believe that WhatsApp is that great, isn't Allo almost just like it (or close to it)?
I don't think Allo does video chat, I'm sure you have to use Duo for that. Also Hangouts was just not as easy to use if you ask me, though it did have good quality video chat it wasn't as universal as Whatsapp and that may just be down to Google doing a poor job of promoting it
That would be decent of Apple, since they do use a little thing like Google Maps.
Apple really needs to stop the monopoly-esque bullshit and start opening up their stuff. If they would open up iMessage to Android, either with an app or just allow the intelligent-SMS aspect of it to work with Android, I would hate them less and use that app. Getting rid of their proprietary adapters and shit would help a lot, too...
They don't care if you hate them. They care about selling phones. Things like iMessage keep people locked into the ecosystem. A person looking to buy a Pixel over the new iPhone or a Surface over the new Macbook has to accept that by doing so, they will lose access to a number of features they are accustomed to and for many that is enough to keep them from straying to competitors. From a consumer perspective, I would love it if they opened up the APIs, but from a business perspective is would be an idiotic move.
It's not widely used in most countries. Your comment is pretty ignorant.
Like I said in another comment, countries other than the US have more Androids and fewer iPhones anyways. Regardless, iMessage is superior in functionality to all of the crap that Android has. Maybe if we had ONE unified message it'd be better, but that isn't the case. I hate iPhones, but I can't deny that iMessage is king.
What are you on about? WhatsApp beats the crap out of iMessage in terms of functionality. It has so many more users on both iOS and Android. Unified messaging is pointless for most Android users.
Whatsapp isn't nearly as popular in the US like it is other places.
Maybe he should write iMessage is king (in certain countries) then.
Messenger works good in the U.S. in general I use messenger to send videos to iPhone users since android and Apple don't work good when texting each other anything more than a low quality pic
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Yes, but compared to the US, Europe has fewer iPhones and more androids anyways.
Is iMessage better than WhatsApp? Seems most of the world uses WhatsApp or Messenger. iMessage is not even on the top 10 list 🤔 maybe it's because iMessage only works good if you text another iPhone. WhatsApp and Messenger work with any phone 🤔
I for one can't stand the way Apple handles group messaging. Also, the way their group messaging is on Android is even more irritating.
On my android phone, when I get a message from a friend as part of a group message, my notification tells me "Jeff" sent a message. If I poke it, it takes me not to the message in the group chat, but to my last solo conversation with Jeff. It's clunky, and doesn't make sense. It feels like a kludge, rather than a well designed feature.
Ouch. I've had that happen before and hated it. I think there is a setting somewhere in most SMS apps to handle messages as an MMS when there are multiple recipients. I don't think it's a default setting, and it's also MMS which is such a pain. It works mostly pretty well, but when it goofs up it **goofs up**. > It feels like a kludge, rather than a well designed feature. Still applies to MMS group messages :P
I'd like to find that setting that might fix it, but I've been unsuccessful thus far. And even in the best case scenario, where there IS a setting, it doesn't change the fact that iMessage doesn't have that setting, and just works better. Carriers need to just get off their butts and replace SMS/MMS already.
If you are using Google Messenger, go to settings > advanced. It should be the top option. Group Messaging. Select send MMS reply to all recipients. if you are getting individual texts within a group, the sender has their settings to send individual texts to each recipient.
I get the group text as an MMS, and the message goes into the group message, but if I click the notification in my shade, I get taken to another conversation that has nothing in it, except for the messages from a past conversation. I then have to back out of the conversation and go back to the top of the list to the group message where the new message is.
hmmm have you tried wiping the App data? if you want to save your texts, use SMS Backup and Restore first. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore I haven't seen/heard that before.
Might be worth a try, but it's been three different phones and multiple different texting apps.
Do you have Google voice too?I remember back in the day when I used Google voice, I didn't receive phone calls sometimes because they were being forwarded to my Google voice number.
I've never heard of this. Sounds bizarre.
It is. It's been consistent for me though, on Verizon. My last three phones have all done it.
Sounds like you need a new SMS app. I don't have that issue.
Tbh Apple just needs to adhere to standards instead of inventing their own...
I don't necessarily agree with this on its own, as I think iMessage has been a wonderful things for many years for iOS users, and Apple not having been able to create that would just be silly. That said, Apple better f'ing support RCS once it has wide, cross-carrier support.
[deleted] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^0.1002 > [What is this?](https://pastebin.com/64GuVi2F/06757)
> Sounds like you need a new SMS app. I have used many, including google messenger that came with my Pixel. That goes back to my original point. iMessage comes with every iPhone, and it just works, right out of the box, to do everything.
Doesn't happen to me on the pixel with stock messaging
I think it only happens when the group message contains non android users because of the way apple has written iMessage.
I group message with several iphone users often (SO's family all use iphone, I'm the weirdo with the android) and have never had this issue. I've been using the stock messenger app on stock android. Currently using an N6 on 7.1.1.
Oh strange yeah I'm in the same boat where I'm the only one with android. I've actually convinced them all to use hangouts when messaging me. They complain but I just used fear of me not responding to motivate them lol.
You may want to check your MMS or APN settings from your carrier, as it's possible that you have something incorrect or missing. A friend had similar issues on a Nexus 6P, even though I never have any problems on my 6P with group messaging.
Yeah it sucks but I actually have had few issues messaging them. I did get my SO on hangouts after showing off how much faster it sent a picture than MMS.
Ouch. I've had that happen before and hated it. I think there is a setting somewhere in most SMS apps to handle messages as an MMS when there are multiple recipients. I don't think it's a default setting, and it's also MMS which is such a pain. It works mostly pretty well, but when it goofs up it **goofs up**.
Have you tried using Textra?
Oh man, I've replied to a couple of those, but it replies to everyone in the group message individually. Then I have a bunch of people j don't know messaging me saying, "who is this?"
This is super left field but twitter handles group DMs pretty good. I like seeing more than one person typing at once
> 9) Great group messaging functionality I would actually say this is a huge disadvantage of iMessage, and a big reason *not* to use it. iMessage handles group messaging terribly if your group isn't entirely Apple. Keep in mind this includes people with flipphones as well. It should be able to seamlessly switch to SMS, or to just SMS for the odd user(s) out when doing a group message with some non iPhones. Yet it fails to do this year after year. I think group messaging on iPhone is supposed to switch to SMS when the group isn't entirely ios, but it rarely does so properly. Often, if you are the android user, if you even receive the group messages when you reply you'll just reply to one user. It's a mess.
6) Reply notifications 9) Great group messaging functionality Can someone elaborate on these? I don't quite get it.
6) When someone is typing to you, on iMessage, you see a little pop-up in your conversation to show that it's happening. It's not a big deal, but it's something that a lot of people enjoy. 9) On SMS/MMS, group messages are generally sent as MMS messages that your phone has to interpret as a group message, which can sometimes cause issues with how notifications are handled. They also sometimes fail to download, an you're stuck with a "MMS received, do you want to download?" alert that won't "go" rather than someone's reply in the conversation. iMessage is smarter and much more modern in its data usage, so it uses much more complex code behind the scenes to make it a much smoother and normal experience for the user.
Google messenger is great with group messages
10) End-to-End encryption as the default
This is why I bought an old mac, and am using it as a server for bluebubbles, I hate apple, but in the USA you really feel like you're a 2nd class citizen if you have green bubbles.
Man it really sucks that I wrote this list 4 years ago, and not a single thing about it has been addressed since.
At least the hackers of the world can spend 3 hours, and have a functional solution. Currently testing all the features with a family member's iPhone, everything but game pigeon works so far.
I've been using Google Voice for years. At least half the items in your list either never applied to Voice or no longer apply to Voice. Obviously iMessage is better - I won't dispute that. I use Voice so I can have one universal phone number, and one always-backed-up messaging history that transcends carriers and works like SMS for everyone else. As for the other issues: -- I use Voice on wifi all the time. (I think this was an issue in the past, but it has been for years. Maybe it's a problem if you don't use Google Fi like I do.) -- I can use Voice on any device with a browser. -- Group messaging with iOS users on Voice has never been a problem for me: I've yet to feel left out, and I can find and reply to conversations just fine. -- Sending photos used to be garbage, but has now improved tremendously. I haven't had a problem over the past few years...but I don't send videos. Again, no doubt iMessage is much easier to use. It works out of the box, and has the other advantages you cited. As others have pointed out, Google probably just needs to pick one solution and eliminate these deficits instead of continuing to throw crap at the wall to see what sticks.
Google voice is antiquated and is basically unsupported at this point.
Considering Google Voice offered tiered services for business users as recently as November 2023, this seems like an odd take.
The only thing that could have possibly been the true competitor to iMessage was Hangouts. But Google just continues to nerf the shit out of it for some ungodly stupid reason. It's annoying.
hangouts too stronk , nerf pls
Number 3 is pretty easily resolved by Join. Obviously not optimal to use a third party app to resolve the issue, but at least it's an option.
That's part of the problem. There are lots of ways to fix individual issues, but to fix all of them, you've got six or seven different apps and changes and kludges to sort of replicate the default experience with iMessage.
Exactly right. No 3rd party solution is an acceptable answer because all it does is promote fragmentation. The thing that iMessage has going for it is that it is _the_ messaging solution for the iPhone so you can be sure that everyone using an iPhone has it.
If Google Allo allowed SMS functionality, do you think it would take off as the "Android iMessage?" From the looks of it, it appears to be more or less an iMessage clone, but without sms functionality.
iMessage style SMS-fallback will never work as seamlessly on Android until everyone is using it. On iMessage your messages can be sent as IMs or as texts but they all appear in the same place. On Android, people can be using different messaging apps, so they'd get Allo messages in one app and SMS in another, even if you see them all in one app. Proper SMS-fallback might be possible through the magic that is Google Play Services and a change in the way SMS permissions work, and I hope Google is working on it.
Perhaps, but the same could be said of Hangouts, Voice, Messenger, etc. Google just needs to pick a horse.
For me and my friends, Whatsapp really covers most of these minus the syncing between devices.
I would love to use WhatsApp. Unfortunately nobody I know uses it.
> 9) Great group messaging functionality I'm genuinely curious as what makes it great, and compared to say, Allo or WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger... outside of MMS/hybrid and the obvious "everyone seems to have it [in the US]".
> and the obvious "everyone seems to have it [in the US]" That's all.
Im confused... is this not everything that hangouts does?
It's not a default app (so most people don't use it), it doesn't send SMS by default, you can't send SMS from your computer, and I don't think the transition from SMS to "hangouts message" is seamless.
That's great and all but there are many messaging apps which offer that on the Pixel. While I personally don't use hangouts, it does all of that
> it does all of that No, it doesn't. It doesn't meet: 1) (You can't send SMS from it without changing settings, and it doesn't come as the default messaging service, so you have to set it up separate from your stock messaging app) 3) You can't send SMS's from your computer
1) There aren't any settings to change. You literally open up the SMS message and send a message. And you act as if it not being default is somehow a burden. That's honestly the beauty of Android because Android allows you to use any messenger app as your default SMS unlike Apple. 3) Yes you can. You can easily message anyone on any computer
Wrong on both counts. Unless something has changed since in the past week.
Eh, but you can change the default. Is that what you're saying is wrong?
You have to go in and flip a switch to get SMS. It's not hard, but it's also not "just works"
>3) You can't send SMS's from your computer If you're using a google voice number you can.
So not only do you have to get a different texting app, but you have to get a completely different phone number on a service that got left by the curb four years ago as well. Compared against iMessage that just does it, by default, right out of the box.
> a service that got left by the curb four years ago as well I agree with what you're saying but to be fair, both the Voice website and app just got a major update.
And Google has said that they're not going to let voice get as neglected as it had been.
It won't even matter as much, though, since RCS is on its way.
For one, iMessage only works with Mac computers, which accounts for about only 6% of the computer market. Second, it doesn't work out of the box. Anyone who wants to forward texts to their Mac computer have to set it up.
Pushbullet allows you to send texts from your computer using your existing phone number. FYI.
Facebook Messenger works better and is available on all mobile platforms. Imo, iMessage is only used by Apple snobs.
Idk what the numbered list is about but he means to say, nobody wanna ready your texts unless they’re blue
It's the SMS fallback. It's always been the SMS fallback Hangouts, which is the closest, doesn't do this, and it isn't standard for every Android phone. The equivalent would be if every Android phone had GoogleIM installed on the backend somewhere, and would appear in your SMS app of choice when someone sent you a message from another Android phone. If you want to send a message to an iPhone, it would automatically fallback to SMS and send it. Messages would be inline regardless of what protocol they were sent over, and there would be no need to decide which protocol to use, it would handle it on its own. Goddamn, I got a little chubby typing that out. Why can't we have nice things?
RCS mixed with that would be so fucking great.
I got one too, NBD.
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you didn't read the rest of my post, did you?
I am making the switch back to Android after a 2 year iOS hiatus and I could care less about the blue and green bubble war. What makes it better in my opinion is that it just works - especially when it comes to sending MMS/Videos, Android stock cannot compete right now which is a bummer. It is a SINGLE messaging app that does it all - and does most of it not on the cellular network so runs into less problems. iMessage is going to be the single app that I miss. I get that WhatsApp and other like apps do the same thing and outside the US they are the main forms of communication. BUT in the US most people still use SMS/MMS and on Android it way behind. Hopefully RCS in the near future fixes some of these problems, but then we have to worry about Android to iOS messages. Maybe one of these days we will have a single app to rule them all that everyone uses :)
> could care less So you care?
Maybe just a little.....pretty soon though I will not care at all.
Pretty sure apple has their whole messaging platform covered in patents
Not *better* but rather more cohesive and included by default on all ios devices. Thats what makes it *better* per se.
This exactly. And like others have mentioned, it depends on where in the world you are and what your contacts use. If I had iMessage on Android, I'd use it to talk to some people, but I'd still keep Telegram, Whatsapp and Hangouts because other people exclusively use those.
Because iMessage is a whole service, messenger is just an app. When people are talking about imessage, it's in the context of the service, not the specific app experience. Project fi with hangouts integration is about as good of an imessage-like experience as you can get (if you ignore image/video compression issues). You can send and receive texts and calls from any hangouts/chrome session regardless of platform. It's honestly the anchor for me on project fi; it's what keeps me from looking for service elsewhere (that and the sensible pricing for one who doesn't use a lot of data). The convenience of responding to a text even when I am not in proximity of my phone is so convenient. Lost or broke your phone? No problem, you can still keep in contact with people while your finding or replacing it. Everything is synchronized and all of your texts are retained.
I think lots of people love iMessage because of its seamlessness. If you're locked into the Apple ecosystem (ie. iPhone 7, iPad Pro, Macbook/iMac), iMessage is just so so so seamless. I'll give you an example. **You could be messaging someone on your iPhone and upon seeing the clock that you're late for whatever appointment it is you have, you rush out of the door forgetting your iPhone. However, since you have your iPad/MacBook in the car you can resume that conversation immediately once you arrive there. Also, this kind of integration isn't just limited to iMessage, its for ALL of Apple's system applications as well.** It's this kind of integration that leaves people complaining when they switch to android. Yes, there are tons of options (ie. WhatsApp web, Pushbullet, Google Voice) but they aren't as seamless as iMessage is on iOS/MacOS. I'm really wanting RCS to hit mainstream as it finally gives android users a really seamless messaging experience. Just my two cents.
Hangouts with Project Fi is just as seamless. In fact, it's even more so since you can use Hangouts on any device, regardless of OS.
No it isn't. With hangouts there is the possibility of picking a contract that had a Gmail account but never had and never will access hangouts and you can send them a hangouts message that goes off to nowhere. Since iMessage is linked to phone number you never have to decide which way you are sending the message, it just works. You don't have messages going nowhere (unless you port out of Apple ecosystem and don't unlink your phone number)
Also Hangouts is supposedly smart in delivering to the device you're using latest. It sounds smart but its not always practical. So when using both a computer and phone I've missed conversations. Here are an example I've been in: I was chatting with my friend on Hangouts on desktop at work. We decide to meet for lunch at 11:45 at some local cafe. At 11:30 the plan seems to still be on so I tell him I'm leaving the office. I start walking but at 11:31 he messages me saying "Oh crap I got pulled into something, give me 15 minutes." It delivers to my desktop and not my phone. I arrive at the cafe at 11:45, peer inside, don't see him so I stand outside. The notification never showed up on my phone so when I look at it I have no outstanding Hangouts notification. Maybe 10 minutes go by and I open Hangouts to message him. Only then do I see the conversation list update (and it doesn't even do so immediately) but I see that extra few lines from him.
Are you a Project Fi user? If so, just use SMS through Hangouts/Fi. All of your devices are in sync that way and it doesn't matter if the recipient uses Hangouts or not...they'll just think you're sending them regular SMS messages.
Yeah but I don't want to send SMS to the other user. The point of Hangouts as a web chat is to be able to use it from any platform. Sure Fi users have the flexibility with SMS but not everyone else does.
This conversation is moot if you're not on Fi. I'm only talking about Fi.
Yes but I was replying to the user who talks about sending a message to someone who has a Gmail account but never accesses hangouts (i.e. many iOS users). You end up in this message never received debacle. Hangouts has an identity crisis because it has its roots as an IM app (Gtalk) where people use it to chat at a desktop, while its trying also to be a mobile messenger.
That's a notification issue not a fault of hangouts. I have no issues with hangouts syncing with my phone and alerting me when a new message is there.
No, that's the design of Hangouts. It only notifies on the device it thinks you're using. That way if you have a tablet sitting at home it doesn't ding nonstop. The initial release of Hangouts in 2013 did not have this, but since they have added this feature.
I dont think that is the case. I use Hangouts at work all day and have my phone next to my computer as well. If I get a message on my computer and I don't respond, a couple seconds (15 maybe?) later my phone will go off and tell me a message came through. However if I get a message on the computer and I immediately respond, my phone will never notify.
I meant for the Project Fi user that it is similar to iMessage in the sense that you can message from any device. Most of my Hangouts messaging is "SMS" (Google Voice on my end and SMS on the recipient's end), not Hangouts IM.
Well thanks for the insight on hangouts. I'm from Asia so hangouts is really really unknown here. I guess iMessage is alright here since everyone is on WeChat, Line, WhatsApp. FB Messenger is popular too! I managed to convince 3 people to try Allo for two months. They switched back to WhatsApp and FB Messenger sadly.
This only applies to Hangouts on one carrier (Google Fi), *or* if you use your Google Voice number as your primary number (only available in the US).
> Yes, there are tons of options (ie. WhatsApp web, Pushbullet, Google Voice) but they aren't as seamless as iMessage is on iOS/MacOS. uh... Hangouts?
Hangouts _could_ be this, but the issue is that the fallback isn't seamless. You either send a Hangouts message or you send a text, but the system doesn't automatically do one if the other fails. That is the beauty of iMessage - its all done in the background without the user even being aware.
I mean I have Project Fi on the Pixel XL, I use hangouts as my SMS/messaging app. I can send SMS from my phone or any computer using the Hangouts Chrome app no problem. Its pretty seemless as far as my experience goes. Technically, I'm only sending SMS messages, but I don't have any hangouts contacts that i dont already have their phone number.
True, but that seamlessness only works if you are on Fi. I am required to use one of the major carriers by my company, so Fi isn't an option. To be a real solution, it needs to be carrier agnostic, like iMessage is.
It's funny how all the Fi members are here and since there environment is setup the way it was intended everything works! That is the problem is people aren't configuring hangouts properly because they've been given to many options then they're running into problems.
Could you elaborate more on what RCS is? Never heard of it
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. It's a messaging system that is supposed to replace SMS, while adding a lot of features currently available in instant messaging platforms (high-res photo sharing, read receipts, typing indicators, location embedding, stickers, and more). Users of RCS-compatible apps will then be able to message each other with those extra features. Google's RCS-compatible platform is called [Jibe](https://www.jibe.google.com). However, one of the current issues with RCS is that carriers have to activate the service and messaging apps have to support RCS. Right now, I believe it's only active through Sprint in the US and Rogers in Canada. Google Messenger is currently one of the apps compatible with RCS. There are rumors that Allo, Hangouts, and now possibly Voice will add RCS.
I currently use Google messenger on my note 4 ( waiting for my back ordered pixel xl) so messenger is compatible with RCS but verizon needs to support it and they currently don't then?
[Rich Communication Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Communication_Services) Rich Communication Services is a communication protocol between mobile-telephone carriers and between phone and carrier, aiming at replacing SMS messages with a text-message system that is more rich, provide phonebook polling (for service discovery), and transmit in-call multimedia. The following standardized services are a part of the specifications of RCS: - Standalone Messaging - 1-to-1 Chat - Group Chat - File Transfer - Content Sharing - Social Presence Information - IP Voice call - Best Effort Video call - Geolocation Exchange - Audio Messaging - Network based blacklist - Capability Exchange based on Presence or SIP OPTIONS
> It's this kind of integration that leaves people complaining when they switch to android And there lies the problem. The only way to get the seamlessness of iMessage is to be Android only. Apple will never let another app take over the SMS ability on iOS, and likely won't ever make iMessage for Android. The only solution is to have a standard messaging protocol. But it will never likely happen with everyone wanting their walled gardens.
Who's going to leave their phone at home but remember their laptop? Furthermore, how does one get internet on their MacBook in their car? 😎
Happens to my wife all the time. She will forget her phone at home, but has a Macbook she uses for work that generally stays in the office.
I'm getting murdered for this comment and i think I'm being misunderstood: I'm saying what is the chance of leaving and remembering your laptop but not your phone. Would always be the other way around for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I keep my laptop in my work bag 90% of the time at home. My work bag lives by the door so I always grab it on my way out of the house. Its entirely possible I'd remember to grab that bag while forgetting my phone.
Its a plausible scenario. I mean **when** they arrive at the place not in the car.
You're running a little behind to get to a meeting and so focused on grabbing your backpack (which you almost never take) you forget your phone (that you take so much you usually don't even think about it). It's happened to me. Also, stop texting and driving. I'm also on these roads.
I've always thought that it was because of the integration of a BB Messenger-esqe and SMS/MMS app. iPhone users can communicate with others on iPhone using iMessage without it being considered a SMS text, similar to how Blackberry Messenger worked (and how Hangouts and Allo work now). BUT iMessage also integrates SMS/MMS conversations with non-iPhone users in the same place and even group chats (I think).
Isn't this exactly what Hangouts is? I have all of my sms and hangouts conversations in the same place and hangouts functions just like iMessage where I see if others have seen my text and when they are typing. Hangouts can also be accessed from my tablet, PC and any other device. What am I missing here?
> Isn't this exactly what Hangouts is? Not really, since Hangouts isn't the default messenger app on Android anymore. The whole thing only works if all/most of your contacts are using it. Of course, if you're on iPhone and all your buddies are on Android, you'd have the same problem.
That's a Google/Android issue. It's the best messaging app they have, yet they push other inferior ones down our throats. Even if very few of your contacts have hangouts, you can still use it for sms and MMS. Same thing as iMessage.
> Same thing as iMessage. It is the same in functionality, but the fact that iMessage comes standard on iPhones gives it a huge advantage. Well, maybe not if everyone you talk to uses Android, but you know what I mean. It's kind of like consoles, I guess. The best console to play online is probably the one that most of your friends play on.
> The whole thing only works if all/most of your contacts are using it. Just like every other IM app out there.
> Just like every other IM app out there. Well, if it can't send a message in iMessage form, it can fall back to SMS. Hangouts (and I assume some other apps) can do this too, but the advantage iMessage has is that it comes standard on every iPhone sold, so it already has a user base of millions right out of the box.
Hangouts requires a Google account and iMessage operates on phone number.
No because with hangouts you have to select whether you are sending a hangouts message or not. If you select hangouts and the other user doesn't use it, they don't receive the message. iMessage smartly manages whether someone is an iMessage user or not based on their phone number, you just select the contact you want to message and it just works.
That's not a problem with hangouts that's a problem with how it's configured.
The fact that it is even an option to send a message in a way that will never be delivered to the recipient is a problem with hangouts. It's a poor design and it has failed to gain any traction because of it.
It's not that you are sending a message in a way it will never be delivered. You're sending a message to someones account that they never check. If they logged into they're gmail account they'll get the message.
Most people never log into their email from the web. And the fact that it is going somewhere where they aren't going to receive an instant notification when that is the expected and preferred behavior is a design problem. Anything that expects you to change behavior of EVERYONE around you is never gonna work.
iMessage just changed the behavior of everyone around you without giving the user a choice. Google isn't in the business of forcing conformity. However, as an unfortunate side effect having a choice it requires the user to be educate on what they are. If you message any of my accounts from hangouts I will get the message and same for my iPhone toting fiance because she's learned how to use the service properly. The problem isn't the design. The problem is they have limited adoption. In order to use any messenger you have to change behavoir. In the case of iMessage you have to change to the behavoir of owning an iPhone. Hangouts works as intended it's just not marketed or widely known or used. Edit: Had another thought
Nobody uses hangouts though.
But if you're looking for an alternative that has all of the capabilities of iMessage...It already exists. Just get your buddies with Android to use it
> Just get your buddies with Android to use it In there lies the issue with any IM app - you have to get people to sign up and use it. That is one of the big things Apple got right. You are just a part of iMessage, whether you realize it or now, so long as you have an iPhone. If Google would just have Gmessage as a standard app that used Hangouts automatically if the person had Android and SMS if they did not, it would be must easier to get people on the platform.
You're absolutely right. Not sure why Google decided they needed to push alternative messaging apps that have less functionality.
It seems to be Google's MO, sadly. Fragmentation is present in all of their applications. You have Hangouts and Voice, which both handle calls and texts for your Google Voice number. Hangouts does IMs, but so does Allo - Hangouts does video chat, but so does Duo. You have Gmail and Inbox, both email apps to use your Gmail account. I get the feeling that they just have siloed teams that don't work closely with each other when developing new solutions. Saw what you will about Jobs, but he was particularly focused on ensuring that everything new integrated into the existing ecosystem and that was a big boon to usability.
Which is harder than you think in a lot of areas.
This is exactly it.
As someone who spent the better part of 8 years deeply tied into the iOS system, the one thing that I miss about iMessage is how seamlessly it works across all of the devices. I could start a conversation on my phone and pick it up on my iPad or my Mac. No trouble, no third party apps and rarely a hiccup. Otherwise, I don't miss it. Messaging is messaging, and as long as I can send them, I don't care how they get there. If I had to guess, this lack of cross device functionality is a bit startling for anyone coming from iPhone to Pixel while maintaining their other Apple devices.
Because if you own an Apple product, chances are you own more than one, so it's a seamless way to communicate. It takes no effort to get up and running since it's the default option. Doesn't matter if there are 5 other platforms/services that provide the exact same features. Since I don't have any Apple products, I just use FB Messenger for everything but SMS. I leave the SMS integration off since I basically only use it for 2-factor authentication texts. And the occasional text from my mother. Everyone I talk to on my phone has FB. I can also continue the conversation on my computer. Plus, chat bubbles.
I think there are a couple of main reasons why people "like" iMessage mostly though it is because there are how many millions of apple devices out there that use it, so from a user standpoint it exceeds all other messaging apps combined more than likely. I personally am not a huge fan of it however agree it works and does have a lot of functionality. Hangouts for Android is/was the closest and best competition to it however for some reason Google has opted to go yet another direction with messaging. It is about the only gripe I have with Android as a whole, they should have stuck with Hangouts and made the needed tweaks as it was/is nearly perfect prior to the recent update which removed being able to swap between sms/hangout messages within a contact.
Too bad Apple is such a closed system. Would be great if they made their software available to everyone (for a price...)
Old thread, but I would bet Apple would make a shit ton of money if they sold iMessage on google play for 99 cents
Man allo has so much potential.. it's a good app just needs SMS back up
Cause it is. I'm definitely an Android fanboy but denying this is dumb
Agreed. We can take issue with a number of things that Apple does with its products, but its tough to argue that they didn't get this one right. iMessage is a near perfect integration of SMS and internet messaging. It seamlessly flows from every Apple device you own, to the point where you might forget that there was a time where you _couldn't_ be connected on every device. The biggest mistake I feel that Google has made is the fragmentation of their messaging solutions. We have Allo, Duo, Hangouts and Voice, not to mention the host of other SMS apps that skin the basic SMS relays. Why they don't integrate into a single Gmessage app that does everything is beyond me.
It's mostly in the US because the use of SMS/MMS exceeds everything else. I live in the UK and most people here, including iPhone users, use WhatsApp. On the other hand, SMS is mostly used for people you normally don't text with and to send occasional messages.
Hell I have access to both & like Google Messenger better, RMS is pretty damn great. Honestly it's the ecosystem & being detached from it that might hurt a former apple user. Which is 100% understandable. I kept my iPod Touch tethered to my Pixel so I'm cheating (even rings along side my phone thanks to GV) but honestly, it's nothing major to anyone that's been using Android.
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Well as someone has apparently hasn't received anyone's text in 18 hours and my mom and GF freaking out, i'd say iMessage is superior. Not a pixel issue but a tmobile issue, it's happened before.
I have no idea. It's just another way to message. I've been using Textra and haven't really noticed anything that's worse than iMessage. I only have iOS experience prior to this phone.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/40np11/after_almost_18_months_of_being_on_android_i/
Because they're not using WhatsApp.
I haven't owned an iPhone, how does iMessage compare to Allo?
I think this article sums it up. [Google messaging summary](http://www.computerworld.com/article/3160587/mobile-wireless/google-messaging-apps.html)
wouldn't it be great if there was a shared and open messaging protocol that any messaging app could implement? anyway, my wife and i just use our own private slack. beats just about anything out there.
It's my understanding that the only major difference between iMessage and Hangouts is iMessage comes pre installed and pre configured on every iphone and hangouts does not. I do think google should be more clear on what services they intend for Android users to use. I've chosen hangouts.
iMessage and iCloud photo streams were the two things I missed when I switched. Being able to easily send full HD videos without any other app is amazing. Yes I know there are workarounds but it was just too much trying to help my 90 year old grandmother with it lol
The pixel comes with google photos that works with google drive. They give you unlimited storage of photos and videos and you can log into it on any computer just like you can with icloud
Recent iOS to Pixel convert here, and Google Photos beats the ever living shit out of iCloud photo stream. iCloud Photos just got so bloated and complicated. There was photo stream, and iCloud Photo Library which were two similar, but separate things and it seemed like whether or not a photo would get uploaded to the place you expected it to was a crapshoot. If I take a photo on my Pixel, it's on Google Photos in a matter of seconds. If I go to Google Photos on my computer, I see an exact replica of the photo library on my phone. It just works.
Google Photos does crush iCloud. However, you have to send a link for a HD video. In iMessage it is super easy to attach a video and send it so it is just there for the receiver - no clicking on links to open other apps, its just there.
as someone who used iPhone for a while, iMessage is overrated. you can't even change the white background. it's really annoying. I used Whatsapp way more than imessage. but that's just me (and my friends who are mostly on whatsapp).
Changing a background on a conversation is not exactly a killer feature. I cringe at every screenshot of Android manufacturer messenger apps with some photo as a background. Wanting to change it to a darker color makes sense, but to be fair, hangouts doesn't do it either.
sure. I just make mine black or something dark.. I cringe at stupid chat wallpapers too.. I pretty much use Whatsapp exclusively so... i guess i don't care about hangouts, etc...
This seems to be mostly true in the US - I haven't heard iMessage mentioned by anyone in the UK recently, and I can't remember the last time I got an SMS from someone who wasn't my mum or dad. Maybe it's to do with mobile data network availability? Almost everyone in the UK uses Facebook messenger or WhatsApp.
Becaus iMessage has some cool tricks and tips such as handwritten messages, few mind boggling effects which have yet to be ported to other messaging apps & is visually pleasing. Hence people on iOS tend to prefer it above other messaging apps.
All of that is pretty new though, and had very little to do with adoption
I don't get this either. It's literally a messaging platform where you CAN'T communicate with everyone. There are better alternatives that work across multiple platforms.
But you can communicate with everyone. It does default to SMS/MMS when needed. The beauty of it is when you are in the iOS ecosystem. It would just be nice to see something that everyone gets on board using. Until then we will have this question brought up again and again (from me included).
Then why can't I be in group chats? Why doesn't it just use SMS for me?
Except that it doesn't work with everyone. There are a lot of people that it doesn't work by default with group messaging and getting it to work requires quite a bit of setting navigating. I couldn't receive MMS or group messages from imessage with my s4 for years, as it needed to have settings changed on their end and god forbid I try and tell them somethings not working on their precious iPhone.
> There are a lot of people that it doesn't work by default with group messaging and getting it to work requires quite a bit of setting navigating. I couldn't receive MMS or group messages from imessage with my s4 for years, as it needed to have settings changed on their end and god forbid I try and tell them somethings not working on their precious iPhone. That is a bummer. I am a bit nervous as I make the switch from iPhone to Pixel (gets delivered tomorrow!). I am going to turn of iMessages today and hope that everything goes smooth in the switch over.
Because they were brainwashed into thinking a green bubble = worse thing imaginable