PieMessage brings iMessage functionality to Android, with a catch

Both Microsoft and Google tend to be pretty open to the idea of bringing their apps and services to rival platforms, with Microsoft being particularly friendly with Android, and Google releasing the vast majority of its apps onto Apple’s ecosystem. On the other hand, Apple takes a decidedly different strategy, keeping most of its apps and services close to the vest, save for Apple Music and an app designed to help people switch away from Android. With this in mind, it’s pretty safe to say that iMessage will likely never get official Android support, but thanks to the efforts of a dev going by “ bboyairwreck” there is now a pretty cool workaround.

Admittedly this isn’t the first time a developer has brought iMessage support to Android, but previous implementations have used remote servers and have largely been considered a security risk as a result. PieMessage is different. Instead of using a remote server, you need a Mac of your own, and it has to be on all the time for this to work. Basically, the app uses the laptop as an intermediary between iMessage and PieMessage, routing messages through the laptop where they arrive instantly on the other side to our phones. While needing a Mac makes this less convenient, it also removes all the security risks associated with other iMessage-to-Android workarounds before it.

The developer calls this open source app more of a proof of concept than a polished product and hopes to see it expand in functionality over time, either by his own hands or by the efforts of the Android community at large. Some of the things not fully functioning at the moment include photos and group messaging, as well as the ability to see that someone is typing a message to you (as normally represented by dots). While the latter of these things isn’t quite on the radar just yet, improved photos and group messaging support should arrive in a future update.

For those switching from an iPhone to Android, or those with a ton of iPhone-wielding friends, PieMessage is certainly a cool concept and one that’s very much worth keeping an eye on for future development. What are your thoughts? Share them down in the comments.