Apple’s IMessage For Android Mockups Include One With Material Design
On a post written by prominent Apple blogger John Gruber, he shares some details about the possibility of iMessage for Android.
Apparently, the iPhone maker has been testing several variations of iMessage for Android, with some designs being a carbon copy of its iOS counterpart, while others lean more towards Google’s Material Design.
“I’ve heard from little birdies that mockups of iMessage for Android have circulated within the company, with varying UI styles ranging from looking like the iOS Messages app to pure Material Design.
Reports of iMessage coming to Android has been catching fire since WWDC 2016, where Apple was supposedly announcing the service on the platform. Unfortunately, it came and went with no mention of iMessage for Android.
Fortunately, Gruber’s reporting does suggest that Apple has at least considered the idea before putting it back on the shelf.
Some may argue that Steve Jobs promised to make FaceTime an open standard, however that never came to fruition.
“I don’t think we’re ever actually going to see FaceTime as an open standard. But I think the sentiment that drove Jobs to want it to be an open standard applies to the idea of releasing iMessage for Android. Apple doesn’t need to rely on platform-exclusive lock-in.”
And I mostly agree with that statement. Apple Music is available on macOS and Windows via iTunes, iOS, and has an Android application. To take it a step further, the app for Android follows Google’s Material Design guidelines and has proven to be a success.
While iMessage for Android may possibly be a rumor forever, at least we know Apple is looking into it.
What are your thoughts? Would you want iMessage for Android? Let us know with a comment below.