Nothing has just announced a new application for its smartphones that breaks the barrier between iMessage and Android users. I’m talking about Nothing Chats, which promises to bring support for several features of Apple’s messaging app.
This application will be made available later this week, strictly on November 17th. However, its method of operation raises some concerns about the security of user data.
Nothing Chats is the new app that brings iMessage support to Android
The application that Nothing has just announced tries to resolve one of the most frequent arguments in the rivalry between Android and iOS. Thanks to Nothing Chats, Nothing Phone (2) users will have iMessage compatibility at their disposal.
For now, this application is exclusive to the latest smartphone from the company founded by Carl Pei. Although nothing has been mentioned regarding this, it is expected that this compatibility can be extended to more equipment from the brand.
With the Nothing Chats app there is no longer a barrier between iMessage and Android users. In addition to support for the RCS communications standard, this application supports the following Apple app functions:
- Single messages
- Chat groups
- Real-time typing indicators
- Full-resolution photo and video sharing
- Voice notes
- Read receipts (coming soon)
- Reactions and replies to messages (coming soon)
As you can see, there are two features that are not yet available. These options certainly need a little more time to be properly optimized to work fully.
User safety is one of the benefits of this app
The premise of Nothing Chats is enough to attract the attention of several users. However, this is not the first app to bring iMessage to Android, there are already Beeper and Sunbrid which, in fact, served as the basis for the development of the Nothing app.
The method of operation of the app that we are now making known raises some security and privacy concerns. This is because your credentials will be sent to a third-party server that could compromise your sensitive data.
To use Nothing Chats, the user must use their Nothing account. Furthermore, you need an Apple ID, which can be created even without having an iPhone or Mac.
Once these steps are completed, your account will be assigned a virtual Mac Mini machine to simulate sending messages from an Apple product. This is precisely where the main concerns regarding the security of user data lie.
Faced with such doubts, a Nothing spokesperson has already gone public to ensure that users have nothing to fear. This states that all data is encrypted and none of your access credentials will be stored on Sunbird servers.
Finally, I would like to say that Norhing Chats is still in the beta phase. It will be available in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe, and can be downloaded from the Play Store as soon as it becomes available.