Android Users Will Soon Be Able To Use FaceTime. Here Is Why IMessage Is Not Working
Android users will soon be able to use FaceTime
One of the most surprising announcements from Apple's keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday wasn't a new feature for its own customers; it was something new for Android and Windows users.
Apple (AAPL) announced that users of non-Apple operating systems will be able to join FaceTime calls when invited via a link sent by an Apple user. FaceTime was announced alongside a slew of other software updates for the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple (AAPL) products.
Allowing non-Apple customers access to one of its apps is a novel move for the iPhone maker, and some have speculated that access to other popular Apple software products may be expanded as well.
Apple's appeal has long been based on exclusivity — you must purchase the company's hardware in order to access its high-quality software, and vice versa. However, according to industry analysts, Apple's FaceTime decision appears to be an admission that there are competitive advantages to allowing non-Apple customers to use its software products.
"Apple appears to be more willing than in the past to open up some of its services outside of its [hardware] ecosystem in order to increase adoption and also to compete more effectively against other large scale technology players like Facebook and Google," said Tom Forte, senior research analyst at DA Davidson. Zoom's success during the pandemic, Forte added, may have demonstrated to Apple the revenue potential of an open and revamped FaceTime.
Apart from that, the move may be intended to alleviate Apple's antitrust woes. "It puts them in a better regulatory light," Angelo Zino, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, explained. "The more receptive they are to external parties entering the ecosystem, the more attractive they appear."
However, there are still constraints on how far Apple can go in the direction of openness — constraints perhaps best exemplified by another of Apple's apps, iMessage.
iMessage and its extensive feature
iMessage is popular among iPhone users due to its extensive feature set that extends beyond traditional SMS messaging, such as the ability to respond to text messages and see when your friends are typing. Additionally, the app utilizes end-to-end encryption, which means that neither Apple nor anyone else can view users' conversations.
Google recently attempted to replicate some iMessage features, implying that many Android users — who far outnumber iPhone users globally — would be all too eager to get their hands on Apple's little blue text bubbles.
And yet, analysts generally agree that Android users should not hold their breath for a non-Apple version of iMessage, owing to the competitive landscape and the iMessage's ability to sell Apple products.
"Apple is taking a very pragmatic approach to extending its app ecosystem beyond Apple devices," said Geoff Blaber, CEO of CCS Insight. "While FaceTime faces greater competition from video conferencing rivals and benefits from cross-platform availability, the same cannot be said for iMessage, which is an integral part of the Apple experience and provides 'continuity' between iPhone, iPad, and Mac."
Apple is still up against competition for iMessage, not only from Google, but also from Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Apple has been working to improve iMessage's resemblance to social media platforms in order to compete more effectively with WhatsApp.
However, WhatsApp maintains a significant advantage over iMessage: it is compatible with a wide variety of devices, making it the default choice for people who want to communicate across operating systems.
Just as Apple's decision to delay expanding FaceTime access for more than a year after the pandemic began may have cost it the opportunity to become the platform of choice for virtual family dinners and work meetings, keeping iMessage as an iPhone-only application risks preventing it from becoming the default cross-device messaging app.
