In a recent move, the emerging tech company Nothing has announced plans to integrate a feature into their phones that will allow users to communicate with iPhone users via iMessage. This is an interesting development, as it could potentially lure iPhone users away from Apple’s ecosystem.

Welcome to Chats | Image from Nothing newsroom

For the audience who are not familiar with what iMessage is, it is the default messaging app that comes preinstalled in all Apple iPhones. It is one of the main reasons people tend to keep buying iPhones other than the whole ecosystem, and not even give the new Android phones a chance. One of the most favored features of iMessage is that it uses a blue bubble to show the messages you send. If an iPhone user sends a message to a non-iPhone user, they will instantly know that the person on the other side has a non-apple device. This alone has accelerated the decision to switch to an iPhone even more over the years.

Nothing’s move to integrate this functionality into their phones is a clear attempt to attract iPhone users and break the barrier. By offering a feature that is so popular among iPhone users, Nothing is hoping to make their phones a more attractive alternative to Apple’s devices. The question remains, however, whether Nothing’s strategy will be successful. At least for now, there seem to be many factors that could make it difficult for the company to achieve this goal. For one, Apple has a very loyal customer base, and many iPhone users are simply not interested in switching to a different platform and leaving behind the ecosystem that they’ve been using for years with services that are tied to iMessage which is also referred to as the “Apple ecosystem”, such as FaceTime and iCloud, which could make it difficult for users to switch away from Apple completely.

Will Nothing’s strategy backfire and alienate Android customers?

Despite these challenges, Nothing’s move is a bold one, and it could potentially have a significant impact on the smartphone market. If Nothing is successful in attracting iPhone users, it could open the door for other Android manufacturers such as Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi to follow suit. This could ultimately lead to a more competitive smartphone market, which would benefit consumers in the long run.

I think we all can agree that one potential concern with Nothing’s strategy is that it could ultimately alienate Android users. Some may feel that Nothing is selling out to Apple and some may be concerned that Nothing’s focus on iMessage will take away from their development of other features that are important to Android users. Moreover, it might feel like the company that they saw emerging might lose its unique brand value.

Nothing Chats | Image from Nothing newsroom

While all this is happening on one side, we have Google’s battle against Apple that has also been escalating over the years by urging the EU to force the company to use RCS (Rich Communication Services) in iMessage which would open up certain features for Android users that are exclusive to iOS users. Of course, Apple has not yet opened up publicly and clearly regarding this and I believe that they will continue to keep Apple’s messaging platform as separate from Android as possible. You can check out the “@Apple #GetTheMessage” campaign by Google on their website.

The future of Smartphones: Is it all about messaging?

Smartphones are getting smarter by the day with all new additions in terms of hardware and software along with AI, but it is also clear that messaging is playing an increasingly important role. This is due in part to the rise of social media, which has made it easier than ever for people to communicate with each other. Messaging apps like iMessage have made it possible for people to communicate with each other without having to pay for text messages.

When we look at the current state, smartphones seem to be dominated by messaging and other forms of social media apps. Only time will tell what the future holds for it. However, at the end of the day, it is clear that Nothing’s attempt to integrate the blue bubble is a significant one, and it could have a major impact on the smartphone market, negative or positive, in the years to come.

iMessage by Apple | Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

Conclusion

The blue bubble battle is something that has been going on for a while in the Android smartphone industry. It is still a bit too early to say whether Nothing’s strategy will be successful, but it is clear that iMessage is playing an increasingly important role in the smartphone market for a company such as this to go up to this extent. Now it’s Apple’s time to make a move and yes, it is sure to be an exciting time for the industry and smartphone enthusiasts.

Nothing’s official news article.