Nothing Chats App for Android is proving iMessage app to be a complete disaster from the start

Nothing Chats App, The group chat I’m in with my wife’s family, including her sisters, their husbands, and parents, recently encountered a frustrating issue. Someone shared a video of their adorable baby, but it turned into a blocky, blurry mess due to compression to fit within the MMS limit. Consequently, a significant portion of the chat is filled with text descriptions of reactions like “[person] Loved an image.” The culprit? The limitations imposed by a few Android users in the group.

While the rest of the world seems to have embraced platforms like WhatsApp, in North America and parts of Western Europe, dealing with these compatibility issues is an everyday annoyance. Unfortunately, Apple shows no intention of addressing this matter.

Enter Nothing, the relatively new player in the Android smartphone scene, founded by OnePlus creator Carl Pei. Following the recent release of the Nothing Phone (2) in the U.S., the company has unveiled Nothing Chats an app designed to bring iMessage features to their phone. However, there’s a catch; it’s essential to carefully examine the fine print.

Update 19/11/23: It has come to light that Sunbird, the service underlying Nothing Chats, is a security disaster. Reports indicate that it sends messages in plain text, stores an extensive number of media files via Firebase, and allows relatively easy access to customer contacts. In response, Nothing has promptly removed Nothing Chats from the Google Play store and is collaborating with Sunbird to address multiple bugs.

Nothing Chats App

Introducing Nothing Chats, a collaborative effort with Sunbird, an invite-only beta unified messaging app. As reported by early testers, Nothing Chat essentially serves as a re-skin of the Sunbird app, with Sunbird managing the technological aspects in the background.

Here’s the process: Upon signing in to Nothing Chat with your Nothing account, you link your Apple ID. Even if you don’t currently use Apple products or services, you can create a free Apple ID. This login information is then transmitted to Sunbird’s Mac servers, where it intercepts iMessages and forwards them to your Nothing Chat app (or the Sunbird app upon its release).

While not all features are operational at this time, the current capabilities include:

1. Single and group messaging
2. Typing indicators
3. Full-resolution media
4. Voice notes

Upcoming features include:

1. Read receipts
2. Tapback reactions and message replies

Although this list is not exhaustive (for instance, there’s no message editing), it encompasses the most crucial aspects, addressing the frustrating inconveniences of the “someone in here is messing it up for all of us” scenario. Notably, Nothing users will sport blue bubbles, discreetly distinguishing them from iPhone users.

Nothing Chats App Overview

Naturally, privacy concerns arise with a platform like this. Both Sunbird and Nothing assert that they don’t retain any data, emphasizing end-to-end encryption for all messages between their server and yours. However, since they operate a server that logs into your Apple ID, they possess access to it—albeit not the username and password, just the login token. The potential for compromise exists, opening up the risk of your Apple ID being vulnerable in the event of a breach of Sunbird’s servers. Entrusting your Apple ID credentials to another entity’s server inherently poses a security risk.

As anticipated, researchers and journalists have discovered that Sunbird’s service, contrary to its assertions, does transmit messages in unencrypted plain text. While it doesn’t store user data as claimed, it does store all sent media files in Firebase, a Google web database platform. These files, including contact cards containing phone numbers and addresses, are easily accessible. In response, Nothing has promptly removed Nothing Chats from the Google Play Store and postponed its launch while collaborating with Sunbird.

In the event of its return, the “what will Apple do?” question looms large. The company’s response remains unclear, and this move appears almost calculated to potentially trigger legal action, putting the iMessage lock-in issue back into the legal spotlight. Given Nothing’s relatively smaller brand stature, Apple may choose not to respond at all, yet it opens the door for larger players like Samsung or Google to explore similar partnerships with Sunbird.

Upon its reappearance, Nothing Chats will be accessible as a beta for Nothing Phone (2) users, a relatively limited group. However, Nothing expresses its commitment to expanding availability, stating that it is “working hard to bring Nothing Chats to more places.” Meanwhile, Sunbird, the technology provider, maintains an invite-only beta and plans to release a similar app on the Google Play Store, catering to a broader range of Android phones.

Nothing Chats App How Its Work

How does the Nothing Chats process work, and why hasn’t Google implemented a similar feature for its messaging client? The key lies in the fact that users essentially entrust their Apple ID to a third party, facilitated by the technology powered by Sunbird. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Providing Apple ID:

• When you provide your Apple ID, Sunbird claims to fully encrypt it, and the original Apple ID data is reportedly destroyed by Nothing. The encrypted data is asserted to contain no sensitive information in plaintext, maintaining the security of your Apple ID.

2. Encryption Process:

• Sunbird has patented a process for securely validating and creating Apple IDs natively on the Apple ecosystem. According to Jane Nho, a Nothing spokesperson, the credentials are encrypted and associated with one of Sunbird’s Mac Minis in North America or Europe, creating an encrypted relay for iMessages sent through the app.

3. Secure Relay:

• The relay created by this process is claimed by Nothing to be inaccessible even to Sunbird or anyone else, even with physical access to the server. Nothing states that Sunbird can only delete the relay and cannot access it.

4. Security Concerns:

However, there are dissenting opinions. Karsten Nohl, founder and chief scientist at Security Research Labs, argues that routing messages through a third-party service breaks end-to-end encryption. Users must trust that Sunbird refrains from reading messages, and there is no technical barrier preventing Sunbird from potentially snooping on messages.

5. Future Outlook:

Despite Apple’s plan to add RCS support next year, Nothing remains undeterred. Nothing CEO Carl Pei acknowledges the positive step by Apple but emphasizes that it won’t resolve all interoperability issues between iOS and Android. Pei advocates for designating iMessage as a core service platform and holding Apple accountable for its RCS announcement.

6. Global Perspective:

The green versus blue debate, synonymous with iMessage and Android messages, is less prevalent outside the U.S., where Apple’s dominance is not as pronounced. Users worldwide often opt for messenger apps available on all platforms, providing the same level of end-to-end encryption. The unintended consequence, according to Nohl, is the pressure on users to relinquish their end-to-end protection due to Apple’s market dominance in the U.S.

Sunbird iMessage App Temporarily Shuts Down Amidst Privacy Concerns

Sunbird, the messaging app that aimed to bring iMessage connectivity to Android phones, is facing a temporary shutdown following a wave of privacy controversies surrounding its Nothing Chats feature. The collaborative effort with Nothing promised Android users the coveted “blue bubbles” of iMessage but has come under scrutiny for transmitting data in plain text without end-to-end encryption.

SunBird iMessage App Details of the Shutdown:

In response to the security concerns raised by users, Sunbird has announced a temporary suspension of its services. The company expressed its commitment to addressing the issues and assured users that it would update them when prepared to resume operations. Additionally, the Sunbird app has been removed from the Google Play Store.

SunBird iMessage App Functionality and Privacy Issues:

Sunbird facilitated communication between Android and Apple users through iMessage, offering a full iMessage experience on Android devices. To achieve this, users were required to log in to a remote Mac Mini server farm using their Apple ID. However, the Nothing Chats app, built on Sunbird’s service, faced criticism for lacking end-to-end encryption and transmitting data over the HTTP protocol. This meant that texts sent via the app were public and accessible to everyone.

SunBird iMessage App Nothing’s Response:

In response to the identified issues, Nothing chose to remove the Nothing Chats app from the Google Play Store, citing “several bugs” as the reason. Despite Sunbird’s claims of secure user data, Nothing did not provide further clarification.

SunBird iMessage App Privacy Concerns Unveiled:

An investigation by Texts.com revealed that the Sunbird service failed to deliver on its promises of end-to-end encryption, an ad-free experience, and no data collection. Instead, users discovered significant privacy issues, leading to the removal of the app from the Google Play Store.

Chatting Time on Nothing Chats App

Upon installing the app and setting up your Nothing Chats account, the process involves connecting third-party services such as iMessage using an Apple ID (which can be created without an Apple device). If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple ID, you’ll receive a prompt on your MacBook for sign-in approval along with a verification code. Additionally, you can integrate RCS via the Google Messages app to route all your texts into Nothing Chat. However, it’s worth noting that connecting RCS may lead to issues like missing notifications for texts and receiving notifications for texts sent months or even years ago.

Finding contacts on Nothing Chats posed some challenges. While some individuals appeared in search results, others seemed non-existent. To address this, I manually located their numbers in my Google Contacts list, sent a message via the app, and added them as existing contacts. Despite encountering “failed to send” messages, waiting a few minutes often resolved the issue. Nothing Chats App automatically sends a vCard initially, allowing the recipient to merge the new chat persona with existing contact information.

Certain rules govern the messaging process. For instance, the iPhone owner’s phone number must be linked to an Apple ID on their device, or you can opt for their email address set to receive iMessages. Group chats can only be created with individuals on iMessage. Although I initiated a group chat with two iPhone owners and an Android user, my message was sent without receiving responses—perhaps a mysterious silence or a technical glitch.

Despite these nuances, I successfully communicated with my iPhone-owning friends, appearing as the blue bubble on their end. However, it’s crucial to note that having a blue status doesn’t guarantee seamless access to all iMessage features. While Voice Notes, message reactions, read receipts, and typing indicators worked, I couldn’t view the iPhone owner’s Focus status, and iMessage games hilariously manifested as static images.

Presently, Nothing Chats App is a rudimentary messaging client. It lacks built-in features such as location sharing, stickers, and voice or video calling. As an evolving app, it’s expected that additional features will be incorporated over time.

Nothing Chats App Conclusion

The iMessage lock-in has been a key factor in providing Apple users with a superior texting experience when communicating with other Apple users, eliminating the need for additional app downloads or account setups. This kind of exclusivity has wielded significant influence in the U.S. and select regions, though its impact has been less pronounced on a global scale.

Surprisingly, shortly after the announcement of Nothing Chats App, Apple revealed its plans to adopt RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the coming year, likely as part of iOS 18. This move promises a more enjoyable messaging experience for both iPhone and Android users, improving the quality of photos and preventing group messages from being distorted by a single Android user.

Sunbird’s temporary shutdown underscores the critical importance of ensuring robust security measures, especially in apps promising enhanced features. As users await updates on the app’s future, the incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in balancing convenience with privacy in the digital landscape.

However, the characteristic green bubbles associated with Android users will persist, leaving room for Nothing Chats to serve a purpose, should it make a return.

Also Read How to gain Instagram followers

Also Read Zensar Technologies