While it is highly likely that Apple is working on adding RCS functionality to the iPhone later this year, Sunbird says it is bringing back iMessages to Android all over again.
Although Sunbird succeeded in getting iMessages to function on Android in the past, the entire affair turned out to be a security and privacy farce. Sunbird had to put its service on hold while it resolved the issues.
It seems like Sunbird is back now. And it says it’s safe this time. Sunbird made its comeback official with a press release confirming a new beta app.
“The relaunch is the culmination of comprehensive enhancements to Sunbird’s backend infrastructure following an exhaustive evaluation,” the company says in the release.
In the press release, Sunbird explains the situation in great detail on its website and what it has been doing over the past three months. Additionally, it validated the weaknesses that need attention, such as:
- Making an API call over the unencrypted HTTP protocol.
- The unencrypted message storage within a Firebase real-time database.
- More than 600,000 files—some of which were vCards—may be accessed via the Firebase static file site.
- The front end sorts messages into a Sentry log.
All in all, the company explains all the actions it took to resolve these problems and guarantee safety, along with the introduction of the AV2 architecture. However, it still needs a working iCloud account and password.
Therefore, you will have to give the company your Apple ID. Giving your Apple ID credentials to a third-party company is never a smart idea, and Sunbird has shown to be quite dangerous in the past.
Anyway, if you have an Android phone and a working iCloud account, you are welcome to sign up for the new Sunbird waitlist. But we don’t recommend it.