Sunbird unveiled the beta testing for iMessage service for Android users through invite with a cost of $1.99 per month subscription fee.
Last April, the company relaunched its app after facing multiple issues concerning privacy and failing to live up to the promise of end-to-end encryption service.
(Photo : LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)
Read Also: Nothing Removes New Messaging App Due to Privacy Concerns
Sunbird to Test iMessage for Android Through Subscription
In a press release, the company shared that 171,000 users are waitlisted for the upcoming beta testing of its iMessage service for Android. The invites have started to roll out and are expected to be released through "phases."
Two users on Reddit shared that they received an email invitation for the Sunbird beta. According to one post, the company will be charging $1.99 per month during its beta testing.
However, the invitation clarified that Sunbird will be free for the first seven days. Afterward, the app will be charging a monthly subscription for users who will not cancel the service. The company has previously confirmed that it has plans to charge the subscribers in the future.
Sunbird Takes Risk Amid Apple's Opposition
Sunbird Messaging was founded in 2022 as a platform to bridge the gap between messaging platforms. Over the years, several companies have attempted to crackdown Apple's iMessage and bring it to Android but most of them have failed.
Last year, Nothing Chats became a privacy nightmare for users due to its lack of end-to-end encryption. The company quickly suspended all the downloads for the app and removed it on the Play Store.
Apple has been actively preventing third-party applications to transport its iMessage service to Android devices. The tech giant is keen on shutting down potential exploitation of credentials to gain access to its iPhone-exclusive app.
"These techniques posed significant risks to user security and privacy, including the potential for metadata exposure and enabling unwanted messages, spam, and phishing attacks," Apple previously stated.
The Sunbird beta app will start from iMessage and plans to re-integrate Google Messages' RCS and SMS in the future.
Related Article: Apple Shuts Down Third-Party Apps for iMessage on Android
