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One of the major differences with an iPhone and Android is iMessage. iMessage is Apples propitiatory messaging systems that blends in with your text messages. Missing out on the party when the text go green? It’s technically possible to set up iMessage on Android using a workaround.

Apple does not make iMessage for Andriod

iMessage was created by Apple and features a end-to-end encryption system that secures the message from the phone it’s sent on, beamed to Apple’s servers, then to the phone receiving them. Messages are encrypted and can only be decrypted by another iMessage client. Apple has kept iMessage and it’s advanced features exclusivly to Apple products. That is why we do not see iMessage on the Google app store. There is one way around receiving messages from apples propitiatory protocol on an Android, weMessage.

Using weMessage

To use weMessage, the following is required:

  • An Apple ID/iMessage account.
  • A Mac running macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or higher:
  • Java 7 or higher installed on your Mac.
  • Android phone running Android OS 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher.
  • weMessage app installed on a Android phone.

How weMessage brings iMessages to Andriod

iMessage works on both iOS and macOS. there is a WeMessage program for Mac that acquires iMessages from the computer and passes them along to the weMessage app on the Andriod phone, all while using Apple’s encryption. While that sounds simple enough, setting this up require a little technical know how.

Setting Up weMessage

Configure weMessage on Mac

  1. weMessage required Java installed on your Mac. Check for Java by navigating to Applications > Utilities, launch the Terminal app. Type java, then click return.
  2. If you get an error, you don’t have Java. If you don’t see the error, you’ve got it. Make sure you’ve got the latest version by checking here https://www.java.com/en/download/apple.jsp.
  3. Download the weMessage program for MacOS https://wemessageapp.com/.
  4. In the weMessage folder, double-click the run.command file to run weMessage.
  5. You may see a message saying the program can’t run because it’s from an unidentified developer. Go to the Apple menu then: System Preferences>Security & Privacy > General tab, then click the Open Anyway button.
  6. You’ll also need to enable some Accessibility features of your Mac. In the System Preferences > Security & Privacy screen, click the Privacy tab, then click Accessibility.
  7. Click the lock icon on the bottom left to unlock settings. If prompted, enter the password used to log into your Mac.
  8. Click the + icon, then navigate through your hard drive to Applications > Utilities.
  9. Select Terminal, then click Open button.
  10. Double-click run.command again to launch the program. This will launch a Terminal window.
  11. Enter the email address you use with iMessage.
  12. Next, enter your APPLE ID password.

Set Up weMessage on Android

  1. On your Android phone, install weMessage from the Google Play store.
  2. Open weMessage on the phone.
  3. Press Continue. a pop-up windows will ask for permission to access texts, press Allow. If there is a slider for Allow modify system settings, slide it to On.
  4. For weMessage installed on the Mac to talk to the weMessage on your Android, you need the Mac’s IP address. Go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP. The IP address is in the IPv4 Address field.
  5. Type the IP in the weMessage Android app
  6. Next, type your iMessage email address and the password (same as APPLE ID).
  7. Tap Sign In.
  8. If it’s configured properly, there will be a conversations screen. To test, message someone who has an iPhone. If they see your message in the blue iMessage bubble, it’s working.

A few more steps!

  1. This configuration only works if your phone is on the same network as your Mac. In order to use weMessage on the go, something call ‘port forwarding’ should be set up on your home router
  2. Port Forwarding allows just a small part of the network to send and received messages from your phone and pass them along to your Mac..
  3. Port forwarding is different for every router. There should be guides online for your router, google it, checkout YouTube. The weMessage sigh also have a guide.
  4. After Port Forwarding is set up, test by turning off Wi-Fi on your Android phone and send a message via weMessage to someone with iMessage. If the message is received, congratulations you are finished!