Vaughan Willis

Q: New features of iMessage useless to non iPhone recipients

If I use the new features of iMessage such as balloons floating across the screen, presumably they can only be seen where the recipient is also using an iPhone and not a Samsung?

Posted on Sep 19, 2016 10:35 PM

Close

Q: New features of iMessage useless to non iPhone recipients

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Zvonimir Blazevic,Helpful

    Zvonimir Blazevic Zvonimir Blazevic Sep 20, 2016 5:01 AM in response to Vaughan Willis
    Level 2 (216 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 20, 2016 5:01 AM in response to Vaughan Willis

    Recipient should be using iPhone with iOS10 if you want full effect.

  • by LACAllen,

    LACAllen LACAllen Sep 20, 2016 3:39 AM in response to Vaughan Willis
    Level 5 (4,894 points)
    iCloud
    Sep 20, 2016 3:39 AM in response to Vaughan Willis

    Android based phones do not use the same software as iOS phones.

     

    When you send a message from an iOS phone to an Android phone, it is converted to an SMS/MMS message.

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Sep 20, 2016 3:59 AM in response to Vaughan Willis
    Level 7 (24,472 points)
    Sep 20, 2016 3:59 AM in response to Vaughan Willis

    Why are you surprised?  iMessage is an Apple proprietary, and freely provided internet messaging service for customers of their products.  It should hardly be surprising that Apple does not provide that free service to non-Apple customers.

     

    If you are sending to a non-Apple product user, then you are sending a simple SMS or MMS text message, which is handled over cellular voice channels by your and the recipients cellular service provider.  SMS text is a quite old technology nowadays - it will never have the fancy features that a modern internet messaging service such as iMessage can provide.

  • by Vaughan Willis,

    Vaughan Willis Vaughan Willis Sep 20, 2016 5:04 AM in response to Michael Black
    Level 1 (49 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 20, 2016 5:04 AM in response to Michael Black

    No surprise. What I want to know is, would someone on an Android phone see the effects of the iMessage, i.e. Floating balloons or gifs, etc?

  • by Michael Black,Solvedanswer

    Michael Black Michael Black Sep 20, 2016 5:31 AM in response to Vaughan Willis
    Level 7 (24,472 points)
    Sep 20, 2016 5:31 AM in response to Vaughan Willis

    No, they cannot because there is no iMessage app or service for Android.  iMessage only works between Apple iOS and OS X devices.  Unless both the sender and recipient are using iMessage, the features specific to iMessage (and the new iMessage Apps) are unavailable.

     

    As I said, regular SMS and MMS texts are inherently incapable of those features, and always will be.  When you send to anyone not using an Apple device, you are not sending an iMessage - you are sending a regular old SMS or MMS text message using your cellular service providers system, not Apple's (SMS as a technology dates back to the late 1980's - relative to internet messaging services, SMS has huge limitations).

     

    Don't confuse the iOS Messages app with iMessage.  The Messages app is iOS's tool for sending text message.  It can make use of Apple's iMessage service if both parties are using Apple products, or it will use your carriers system and your account with them to send SMS texts.  iMessage is a service, not a program.  Apple writes their Messages app in iOS to intelligently use the right messaging service (iMessage or SMS/MMS) depending on what it determines for the recipient's address.  If that address (email or phone number) is registered with the iMessaging service, the message is sent as an iMessage.  If the recipient is not registered with iMessage, it does not send as an iMessage and will switch to your carriers messaging service.  And someone can only register with Apple's iMessage service from an Apple device.