Sunbird says it is expanding its iMessage for Android app to more users, costs $1.99/month

After reintroducing its app in April following a privacy nightmare last year, Sunbird has announced that its iMessage service for Android will be available to more users, but it is coming with a cost.

In a press release issued last week, Sunbird announced that the 171,000 users on its waitlist will be getting invites to start using the app in beta. These invites are said to be rolling out “in phases” starting this month. The new beta only supports iMessage, but will eventually re-add support for RCS via Google Messages, Sunbird says.

So far, though, we haven’t been able to find many users who have actually gotten access to the app since Sunbird’s announcement.

Two users on Reddit claim to have received emails with an invite to the new Sunbird beta, with one user mentioning that the email discussed a $1.99/month subscription fee. To date, Sunbird hasn’t charged for its service, so this is quite a big change, and it’s interesting that it’s not mentioned in the press release at all. As noted by one of our readers, though, Sunbird has previously confirmed it planned to charge a subscription for the app.

After the publication of this article, 9to5Google has now viewed the email that notes this cost. It reads in part:

Sunbird offers a fully featured 7-day free trial and a monthly subscription of $1.99 thereafter.

The email goes on to explain that “new Apple IDs may have a brief 30-60 minute warming up period,” that “all playable audio formats cause the app to crash,” and that “outgoing attachments may be duplicated on the receiver’s end sporadically” alongside some other known bugs.

9to5Google’s Take

Sunbird is bold, I’ll give them that.

Since the app’s original debut, the lack of public access to the app led to confusion over if it actually worked and, when it did finally become available, it was immediately discovered to be a security nightmare. Sunbird said in April that it had fixed its security woes, but not without that announcement having some confusing bits within, as we pointed out.

This latest press release isn’t also without some oddities. For one, Sunbird pokes at the fall of Beeper Mini, and quickly follows that by touting “extensive media coverage” and confidence of how it can “securely” use iMessage without acknowledging that much of the media coverage surrounding it has been about the security issues and countless questions. The entire press release, quoted in part below, reads as an investor pitch more than an announcement of expanded availability.

Sunbird’s approach to bridging the messaging gap between Android and Apple users is rooted in security and innovation. Unlike third-party attempts that involved unauthorized access to iMessage, Sunbird’s platform provides a secure bridge for communication within Apple’s ecosystem. Since the app’s initial public announcement in November 2022, Sunbird received extensive media coverage and tens of thousands of users have communicated through iMessage via Sunbird. This media coverage and usage did not lead to third-party interference, and the company remains confident about its method of securely connecting Android and iPhone users.

It just all makes me feel very uneasy about it all, especially given that this flew under the radar for over a week and hardly anyone has talked about getting access. There are also a couple of users who have noted that Sunbird’s Discord channel has either mysteriously disappeared or been weirdly renamed.

The idea of paying for iMessage on Android was appealing last year, but with RCS now in the picture, it seems ludicrous before you even bring up Sunbird’s sketchy past.

How do you feel about it?

More on Android:

• Gemini in Google Messages drops Pixel, Samsung requirement
• Here’s everything new in Android 15 Beta 3 [Gallery]
• Chipolo One Point and Card Point initial review: Basic tracking and not much else

Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, and Instagram

Post and headline updated to reflect subscription plans were previously discussed by Sunbird and information obtained from an invite email we viewed.