If you're a Mac user with an Android phone, some apps on your computer aren't very useful, such as Messages, which is meant to work and sync with iOS devices. But now, thanks to MDRS, LLC, using the Messages app on your Mac with an Android phone is now possible and easily achievable. Plus, we've got 50 promo codes to give away for a free year of service!
weMessage
- A teenage developer created a workaround system that enables Android users to communicate using iMessage.
- Unfortunately, you need a MacBook, iMac, or Mac Mini to make the system work.
- The setup is a bit technical and complicated, but if you can follow the instructions, you can use iMessage on your Android device anywhere.
A 16-year-old developer named Roman Scott has done the impossible: he has brought iMessage to Android. It’s a bit complicated and clunky, but if you have an Android phone and an Apple computer, you can now use weMessage to send iMessages just like your iOS friends.
The way it works is simple: you set up a server on your Mac computer that then forwards your iMessages to your Android device. You respond to those iMessages through the weMessage app, and the response gets sent to the Mac, which then forwards it to the recipient. The whole process is basically instantaneous, and the person communicating with you on their iOS device or Mac computer can’t tell that you’re not using an official iMessage app.
In the video below, Roman walks you through how the weMessage app for Android works:
As of now, weMessage supports several iMessage features, like messaging group chats, read receipts, voice messages, image and video attachments, and more. There are some features that aren’t yet supported that Roman promises will be added in the future, and he also promises that new, non-iMessage elements will come as well.
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The only downside is that for the system to work, you need to set up a weServer on your Mac computer. If you don’t have a MacBook, iMac, or Mac Mini, unfortunately, you won’t be able to use weMessage. That’s because your Android phone is not actually sending and receiving iMessages; your Mac is, and then merely forwarding your interactions through the Android device.
Setting up the weServer is pretty complicated. Judging from the video below, a user would have to be pretty comfortable using the Terminal app in macOS to install the weServer. However, Roman explains everything quite eloquently, and it seems like anyone could install it if they put their mind to it:
There have been other Android apps that hit the Google Play Store that claimed to bring iMessage to Android, but they all got removed quickly. That’s because iMessage is controlled by Apple and only official Apple products can use the service. If a developer creates an Android app that accesses iMessage features directly, they would be violating Apple’s TOS.
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But Roman doesn’t appear to be doing that, as an official Apple product (a Mac computer) is doing all the iMessaging. However, the app is relatively young and could be taken down at any moment.
If you have an Android device and a Mac computer running Yosemite or later, give weMessage a try and let us know in the comments how it goes!