Nothing Phone (2) is getting its own iMessage app

Ben Schoon | Nov 14 2023 - 6:47 am PT

iMessage for Android is a dream for many, but Nothing is trying to make it a reality with the Nothing Phone (2) and “Nothing Chats.”

Update: Do not download “Nothing Chats.” A major security vulnerability has been uncovered.

The Nothing Chats app will be launched for the Nothing Phone (2) and, quite simply, will support iMessage chats on the company’s Android flagship. It’s a first, as other iMessage clients for Android have always been developed by third parties and not distributed by the brand itself.

Nothing explains:

Nothing Chats is an app developed in partnership with Sunbird, which allows you to message other users via blue bubbles. We are currently in a Beta phase, which means more features and improvements are coming down the line. Stay in the loop by signing up for updates.

Nothing’s iMessage app, though, still isn’t anything official. Nothing Chats will be powered by Sunbird, an iMessage client that launched last year to a level of skepticism, but has been operating for the past several months now and has amassed over 10,000 downloads on the Play Store.

In a set of FAQs, Nothing explains that setting up this app with iMessage will require logging in with your Apple ID, and also says that chats retain their end-to-end encryption. Privacy details align with Sunbird’s privacy policy.

The video below, hosted by Nothing CEO Carl Pei, further goes over the app and explains that at launch it will support both individual chats and group messages as well as typing indicators, full-size media sharing, and voice notes. However, read receipts, message reactions, and message replies will not be available at launch and will be “coming soon.”

Beyond iMessage, Nothing Chats will also support RCS messaging on the Phone (2), and the app will be available in the US, UK, and the EU.

The app will be available on November 17, but there’s no word on if it will be available to Phone (1) owners. It’s also unclear if Nothing will later build this app into the system directly. While this is an official offering from Nothing, users will only be able to get it from the Play Store.