Nothing Chats, the iMessage phone app (2), is now available

After announcing it earlier this week, Nothing has launched its “Nothing Chats” app which brings Apple iMessage to the Android-based Nothing Phone (2).

The principle of “Nothing Chats” is quite simple. The app, free to download but exclusively available on Nothing Phone (2), aims to make it possible to use iMessage on the phone (2), but also to merge it with support for your existing RCS and SMS chats.

To do this, you will need to do some configuration. First, you will need to link Google Messages. This is done via a QR code, and the app essentially relies on the same Google Messages link you get on the web. This isn’t a new method, as the other popular “all your chats in one” app Beeper does the same thing.

Beyond that, you’ll need to sign in to your Apple ID to use iMessage in Nothing Chats.

This is all handled by Sunbird and it means your Apple ID connects to a Mac in a remote farm. In a statement to 9to5GoogleThere is no reason why Apple ID data is “destroyed” after you log in.

Once the Apple ID is provided, whether existing or newly created, it is then tokenized in an encrypted database and the Apple ID data is destroyed. The token is of no use to bad actors because it does not contain any sensitive information like your Apple ID, and the data you initially provided is automatically deleted, ensuring that your Apple ID is secure and at no time vulnerable to hackers. bad actors.

Sunbird and Nothing both say everything is end-to-end encrypted.

That said, it’s worth noting that Sunbird has a pretty sketchy reputation. The company began talking about bringing iMessage to Android in 2022 and was supposed to launch in summer 2023, but as of today, it is still on a waiting list. Before its beta launch, as ArsTechnica reports, Sunbird held a briefing with members of the media, ended open questions during the meeting and refused to answer any technical questions, which is a major red flag.

Another big red flag, spotted by Kishan Bagaria on Twitter/XThis is because the app sends your Apple credentials over HTTP, not secure HTTPS. 9to5Google can also independently corroborate it.

We’ve reached out to Nothing for comment on this matter.

So, as with any app promising to bring iMessage to Android, take this one with a grain of salt.

Nothing Chats is now available on the Play Store, again only for Nothing Phone (2), and only in the US, Canada, UK and EU.

Meanwhile, this comes a day after Apple announced that RCS messaging would come to the iPhone in 2024.

Update: Nothing made the following statement to us this afternoon:

Although the protocol is HTTP, all data is encrypted and the key used to encrypt this data is provided over HTTPS so that Apple credentials or messages sent through this HTTP request are secure and not open to the public. All sensitive user data such as Apple ID credentials and messages are encrypted at all times. HTTP is only used as part of the application’s single initial request informing the backend of the next iteration of iMessage connection that will follow via a self-contained communication channel.

Regarding the other part of his tweet, years ago when the servers were being built, Sunbird’s co-founder named them Blue Bubbles. Sunbird/Chats does not use any instances of technology owned by anyone else – the name is strictly a coincidence.

Additionally, I would like to add that from the beginning, Sunbird has focused on security and its ISO27001 certification (certificate number: IA-2023-09-21-01), an internationally recognized specification for a security management system. information security, is a reflection of its commitment to user privacy.

Nothing spokesperson