{
  "id": 197283,
  "title": "Sunbird Brings the iMessage Experience to Android Phones",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/sunbird-brings-the-imessage-experience-to-android-phones",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-05T23:48:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNET",
    "slug": "cnet",
    "url": "https://www.cnet.com/tech/sunbird-imessage-app-android-phones/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sunbird Messaging, an Android app that brings the iMessage experience to Android phones, has returned to the Google Play Store after a three-year hiatus. The company announced its comeback on Wednesday, three years after shutting down in 2023 due to privacy concerns. Sunbird's primary feature is enabling Android users to send blue bubble messages to iPhone users while also offering the iMessage chat experience familiar to Apple customers. The app consolidates iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMC messaging into one interface. New users can utilize a Primary tab for contacts they interact with frequently, while a Secondary tab organizes routine texts and verification code messages. Users can also move conversations between these tabs. While Android users will benefit from iMessage's features like typing activity, read receipts, and high-quality media sharing, Sunbird CEO Danny Mizrahi acknowledges that Android users still face issues in group chats such as reactions, replies, high-quality video, and group management. To address these issues, Sunbird aims to make Android users full participants in group chats, enabling iPhone friends to enjoy the same experience. Initially launched on Google Play in late 2022, the app was discontinued due to the revelation that it was transmitting users' Apple ID credentials through an unencrypted server, posing a risk of data interception and hacker access. However, Sunbird has since returned in beta mode, now open to the public. The company reassures users that messages are now encrypted and do not get stored on Sunbird's servers. Additionally, the sharing of Apple credentials has been eliminated through a one-time password setup, which is then discarded, ensuring no authentication tokens remain. Sunbird offers a 14-day free trial, followed by a $3 monthly or $25 annual subscription, and is currently limited to US customers.",
  "summary": "The texting app, which was pulled in 2023 over privacy concerns, is back on the Google Play Store.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Android Authority",
        "title": "Sunbird is back, bringing iMessage to Android (again)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/sunbird-is-back-bringing-imessage-to-android-again",
        "published": "2026-08-05T12:13:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "9to5Google",
        "title": "Sunbird launches its iMessage for Android app, expecting you to trust it in the name of blue bubbles",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/sunbird-launches-its-imessage-for-android-app-expecting-you-to-trust",
        "published": "2026-08-05T13:59:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "AppleInsider",
        "title": "Unsafe iMessage for Android app Sunbird just will not die",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/unsafe-imessage-for-android-app-sunbird-just-will-not-die",
        "published": "2026-08-05T16:02:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Engadget",
        "title": "Sunbird's iMessage app for Android is back after a major privacy snafu",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/sunbirds-imessage-app-for-android-is-back-after-a-major-privacy-snafu",
        "published": "2026-08-05T16:06:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}