Philip Houska Before WWDC, there were rumors that the iMessage communication service, so far exclusively available for iOS, could also reach the rival Android. Before the developers' conference, expectations grew, which was helped by the fact that the Apple Music application is already needed on Android, but in the end the speculations did not come true - iMessage will remain an exclusive element only for iOS and will not appear on competing operating systems (at least not yet).
Walt Mossberg from the server came up with the explanation The Verge. In his article, he mentioned that he had a conversation with an unnamed high-ranking Apple official who made it clear that the company had no intention of bringing the popular iMessage to Android and giving up one of iOS's key selling points. The exclusivity of iMessage on iOS and macOS can increase hardware sales, as there is a segment of users who buy Apple devices thanks to this communication service.
Another thing is also important. iMessage runs on over a billion devices. That number of active devices provides a large enough data set for Apple to gain relevant information when developing the AI-based products the company is hard at work on. The unnamed employee also added that at this point, Apple has no intention of expanding that base of active devices in terms of bringing iMessage to Android.
Speculations by users regarding the introduction of iMessage for Android were justified in a way because Apple also demonstrated such a move with its music streaming venture Apple Music. But that was a completely different chapter.
Apple Music needs to be viewed somewhat differently, primarily from a competitive standpoint. With such a strategic decision, the Cupertino giant is trying to capture the highest possible number of users in order to compete with services such as Spotify or Tidal.
In this situation, Apple took on the decision-making role of publishers and artists. As the importance of individual album exclusivity grows, it was necessary for Apple Music to present itself as a means through which an album can reach the largest possible user base even on competing systems. If this were not the case, there would be a risk that the artist would choose a music platform that exists on all available means, which would make logical sense not only from the side of income, but also from the side of spreading awareness.
