The Sundarban
Printed Apr 4, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT
Brady is a technology journalist for MakeUseOf with years of ride covering all things mobile, computing, and overall tech. He has a focal point on Android phones and audio gear, and holds a B.S. in Journalism from St. John’s College.
Brady has written for publications admire Android Central, Android Authority, XDA, Android Police, iMore, and others. He has ride reporting on major occasions held by Google, Apple, and Samsung, in addition to to trade exhibits admire Lenovo Innovation World and IFA.
When he’s no longer writing about and sorting out the newest items, you would possibly maybe maybe also to find Brady observing Extensive East basketball and working.
iMessage is one of Apple’s most attention-grabbing offerings, and a mammoth motive why iPhones dominate North American smartphone gross sales. It’s easy to sever the success of iMessage to superficial reasons, admire of us looking out blue message bubbles on their iPhone in want to green ones. There’s a bit of extra to the tale than that — iMessage beats out Google Message in precise, sparkling ways. Most importantly, you would possibly maybe maybe also disclose iMessage with out an energetic SIM the utilization of your Apple Fable as a substitute.
Google Messages, the default messaging app for Android, fully shuts down the second you now no longer contain an energetic SIM on your phone. Tying your message historical previous to a internet based account rather than a tool or SIM card makes sense for continuity. Whereas you happen to change gadgets, phone numbers, or merely flip off your SIM, you would possibly maybe maybe also still send or receive messages with a internet based account. That’s how iMessage works — you would possibly maybe maybe also sync messages with iCloud and disclose your Apple Fable email as a mode to send and receive messages with out a phone number.
The extra I disclose Google Messages, the extra puzzled I am that Google hasn’t replicated this longtime iMessage feature. I would desire with the design to reveal Messages with my Google account to proceed sending messages the utilization of my email handle. Until Google provides this utility, Google Messages will always disappear in the serve of iMessage.
Google Messages is huge till you growth a SIM
Messages becomes ineffective must you now no longer contain an energetic SIM
Let’s open by reviewing the differences between Google Messages and iMessage. Google Messages is a text messaging app that uses SMS, MMS, and RCS messaging protocols for verbal substitute. The natural comparability is not any longer exactly to iMessage — which is a separate messaging protocol — however rather to Apple’s contain messaging app, Messages on iOS.
It’s miles a puny bit hard, even though, as a outcome of Google Messages does leverage accounts for obvious shared verbal substitute aspects. For instance, signing in to a Google account in the Messages app lets customers fraction a profile, including their establish and film, with other customers. Facets admire Tool Pairing, Magic Assemble, and Gemini also require a Google account. So, while Google has created its contain Google Messages aspects, it uses an open trade traditional to actually send and receive text messages.
Credit: Bertel King / MakeUseOf
That traditional is Rich Communication Companies and products (RCS), and it be managed by the GSMA. There are similarities with iMessage, admire the skill to send and receive messages with out mobile provider the utilization of Wi-Fi connections. On the other hand, unlike iMessage, RCS is a global protocol that works across carriers and platforms. iMessage and Google Message with RCS work equally till you strive to reveal the latter with out an energetic SIM.
Since Google Messages relies on text message protocols SMS, MMS, and RCS, it requires an energetic SIM to feature. It doesn’t need an energetic mobile connection, however the app has to sight an installed SIM or eSIM. With out one, it fully shuts down. That you would possibly per chance even see errors admire Please insert a SIM card to proceed, and you couldn’t be ready to send or receive messages. When I disclose the iOS Messages app, my iPhone automatically falls serve to my email handle for sending and receiving iMessages when my eSIM is removed.
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All my phones contain eSIM, however I still disclose physical SIM cards for these 3 reasons
I’m no longer making an strive to search out the eSIM hype — physical SIM cards are extra first price and create you much less counting on your mobile carrier.
Google Message has no actual iMessage competitor, and that’s an area. RCS is extra healthy than SMS and MMS, however it completely’s indubitably no longer excellent, and a firm admire Google is the excellent one to present Android customers something larger.
It already has the framework. Google Messages already uses Google accounts for Profile Sharing, Tool Pairing, Magic Assemble, and Gemini. It actual lacks the thing that makes the Apple Messages app indubitably huge — the skill to send and receive messages with out an energetic phone line.
No, Google Fable blueprint pairing is not any longer ample
It still counts on your major phone having an energetic SIM
Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf
A handful of aspects helps Google Messages and RCS present a the same ride to Apple Messages and iMessage. Google Messages has profile sharing, actual admire iMessage. It must always send messages over Wi-Fi or mobile files, actual admire iMessage. Google Messages even has a Tool Pairing feature that lets in you to proceed your conversations on other phones, tablets, and computers. The area is that Tool Pairing still counts on your major Android phone having an energetic SIM.
Take out the SIM or deactivate the eSIM on your Android phone, and Google Messages becomes a brick — on your complete ecosystem of gadgets. It’s miles a stark incompatibility to the iMessage ride, which works across Apple phones, tablets, and laptops with out a phone number or energetic SIM. Being ready to kind an Apple Fable with most effective an email handle and straight away open sending iMessages makes Apple gadgets accessible and fixed.
Whereas you happen to designate in to an Apple blueprint with an Apple Fable, your iMessage conversations saved in iCloud will likely be ready to walk.
