Sunbird Messaging today reintroduced its app that brings iMessage to Android users. Sunbird is now available on the Google Play Store following an early access testing period.
The app allows Android users to send "blue bubble" messages to iPhone users instead of the standard green bubbles. It incorporates iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMS messages in one app.
Sunbird was previously available from late 2022 through late 2023, but the company shut it down due to security concerns. The app was sending a user's Apple ID credentials to a Sunbird server to function, with the information sent unencrypted over HTTP. An attacker could intercept all Sunbird messages and media attachments, and Sunbird employees had access to a platform that stored all message content.
The app returned in an invite-only beta in April 2024, but it hasn't been publicly available until now.
Sunbird says messages are encrypted on-device and in transit, and are not stored on Sunbird servers. An Apple ID is required to use Sunbird, and the company claims passwords are used once to set up a session and are then destroyed. More security information is available on Sunbird's website.
Back when Sunbird launched, it promised features Android users didn't have, like typing indicators, read receipts, and higher-quality media. Those features are now available for Android to iPhone chats because Apple has adopted RCS, so Sunbird is mostly offering a different bubble color. iMessage through Sunbird does not register a phone number, and users will appear to contacts by email address.
Android users can try the app free for 14 days. A subscription is priced at $2.99 per month or $24.99 per year.
