back to article Dodgy 'iMessage for Android' app deep-sixed by Google

Google has yanked an app that purported to give Android users the ability to use iMessage. As is discussed by Jay Freeman here, there was a catch in the app. It didn't “make iMessage run on Android”, but rather sent data off for pre-processing to a server in China. And that meant users were being asked to submit their Apple …

COMMENTS

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  1. andreas koch
    Black Helicopters

    I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

    As soon as Google is informed that this is not clumsy programming, but NSA data collection outsourced to a company in China.

    Wopwopwop . . .

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

      As long as you avoid using Chinese, your info should be safe.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

        unfortunately most of china uses something called WeChat, fine a nice chat app you think... but the permissions are pervasive, so if you want to keep in touch with friends living behind the great wall, you have to install this monstrosity of an app that basically has full permissions to do anything it bloody well likes!

        Chinas government does not need to hack, all its citizens are freely letting the gov read their messaging...

        If you think Facebook is bad (and it is, the latest permissions for that app are horrendous too) then wechat is worse..

        1. Captain Underpants

          Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

          @AC 10:25

          Ridiculous permissions issues are possibly the biggest flaw in the Android OS from a user's perspective, and one that I think Google has finally realised it needs to fix (by the sound of what's forthcoming in Kitkat). (The combination of lack of user education and thieving bastards developing apps means you get stupid nonsense like torch apps which demand access to your address book, permission to send SMS messages and all sorts of other crap - and, even worse, idiot users trying do defend this....)

          Cyanogenmod was, for a while, the fix for this - up until CM7 ie Gingerbread, it had the ability to let you over-rule per-app permissions as you wished. For some stupid bloody reason they decided not to implement this in ICS, then later changed their mind when the community made enough of a fuss, then realised they'd left it long enough they may as well just wait for the source for 4.3 to be made available and have it become a core Android feature.

          I discovered this, of course, after going through the process of putting CM9 on my Xperia Mini Pro. This weekend will involve downgrading to CM7, which should also rather helpfully improve performance...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

      Malware buy the front door....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: buy the front door

        and sell the carpets!!!

        1. Ged T
          Joke

          Re: buy the front door and sell the carpets!!!

          or maybe cell the carpets...

    3. Eguro
      Meh

      Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

      "As soon as Google is informed that this is not clumsy programming, but NSA data collection outsourced to a company in China."

      As if the NSA isn't already getting anything sent using iMessage?

      1. andreas koch
        Thumb Up

        @ Eguro - Re: I'm sure app and website will soon be back.

        True, but up until now they did it in-house and themselves. The budged savings are tremendous since Heavenly Noodle Pig Corporation in Guangdong took the transcription process over.

  2. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    It's so confusing...

    BFM (Blackberry-Fairfax Messaging) on iOS and Android, eventually, maybe. iMassaging (LOL) on Android, or maybe not. Dogs and cats sleeping together...

    My head is spinning.

    1. garden-snail
      Go

      Re: It's so confusing...

      Not too long ago I would have said the same thing about playing Sonic the Hedgehog on a Nintendo console...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Somehow I doubt this would have worked if it became popular

    Apple might figure out that one Mac Mini didn't have a million people logged into it sending out hundreds of iMessages per second...

    1. Don Jefe

      Re: Somehow I doubt this would have worked if it became popular

      What's wrong with your Mac Mini?

  4. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Maybe?

    Unlikely, but maybe the service *was* running on a Mac Mini. *shrug*. The CPU power required to reformat and forward some small messages is pretty low.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Really, who uses iMessage anyway?

    I mean a messaging system that only works with your most stupid of friends?

    When you can get cross-platform messaging clients like Google Hangouts and WhatsApp for all devices, iMessage seems rather lame.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Google Hangouts

      Woops, your agenda is showing!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Really, who uses iMessage anyway?

      You can't get WhatsApp for iPad.

    3. Timmay

      Re: Really, who uses iMessage anyway?

      A WhatsApp account only works from one device.

  6. Timmay

    So they removed it from the Play Store, but left it on my device, therefore there's no way to remove it without going into Settings > Applications

    if I wasn't a geek, how would I know to do this? I would have hoped it would still show as a placeholder in My Installed Apps list in the Play Store, and allow me to uninstall it only.

    1. Andy Mc

      Long click on the app in the app drawer, drag to Uninstall. Simples.

  7. Yet Another Commentard

    Was this a paid for app?

    If so do the punters get their money back?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Was this a paid for app?

      Oh, they paid - The punters just don't know how much, yet...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Google Fail

    Just another example of how google fails to closely monitor apps which should never be there being posted to it's "legitimate" store. Yes its great to have so many aps but this type of example should be a warning to all android users..

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