Despite a recent rumor that Apple is bringing its iMessage software to Android, a senior Apple executive appears to have ruled this out, having explained why iMessage is not heading to non-Apple platforms.
In a lengthy feature article analyzing the new features revealed to come with this fall’s iOS 10, veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg reports asking this executive why iMessage isn’t expanding beyond the Apple ecosystem. The executive is said to have cited two reasons…
One is that, with the number of active Apple devices having reached 1 billion, the firm considers this to provide a sufficiently large data set for any AI learning it could be developing. The second reason – “the company’s classic (and successful) rationale for years”, as Mossberg has dubbed it – is that there could be boosted sales of Apple devices should they maintain exclusivity of “a superior messaging platform”.
The executive’s comments are likely to put a solid end to the rumor about iMessage reaching Android – despite a source having told MacDailyNews that it would “definitely” happen this year. The news outlet acknowledged that, as “a single-sourced item”, this couldn’t be credited as more than a rumor.
