The Sunbird iMessage Android app has returned to Google Play with a $2.99 monthly subscription, according to The Verge. Sunbird says Android users can use iMessage conversations in its app, including reactions and high-quality video, while also accessing Google Messages and SMS from the same inbox.
The return is a practical option for people still dealing with Apple-centric group chats. RCS support has improved Android-to-iPhone messaging, The Verge reports, though Android participants can still encounter broken reactions and replies in iMessage groups.
Sunbird’s latest availability should not be treated as a clean three-year absence. The service shut down in 2023 amid security issues, according to The Verge, but Sunbird announced a phased beta relaunch on April 5, 2024. The current Google Play release is the paid public return reported on August 5, 2026.
Is Sunbird’s iMessage app for Android safe to use?
That remains unresolved by the evidence available. Sunbird says it rebuilt its infrastructure after the earlier shutdown, and CEO Danny Mizrahi told Android Authority that an independent security auditing firm found no critical vulnerabilities in the rebuilt app. Neither an audit report nor an independent technical assessment was supplied for review.
Sunbird says messages are encrypted on the Android device before they leave it, protected while moving over certificate-pinned connections, and encrypted at rest on the device with AES-256. It also says Apple’s own iMessage end-to-end encryption protects the final leg to an iPhone and that Sunbird does not alter or intercept it. Encryption can protect data in transit and storage, but its practical protection depends on the keys, software and systems handling it.
The company says messages that pass through its infrastructure are protected in transit and released after delivery. It says media is usually deleted within 48 hours, and no later than 72 hours. Mizrahi also said an Apple ID password is used once to establish a session, then destroyed; he said Sunbird retains neither that password nor a login token that could later be used to sign in as the customer. Those are company and executive statements, not independently verified findings.
What works now, and what is still promised?
- Available now: iMessage access, Google Messages and SMS in Sunbird’s unified inbox, according to Sunbird and The Verge.
- Planned for Q3 2026: WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger integrations, according to Sunbird’s website.
- Also planned for Q3: on-device “Sunbird Intelligence” tools, including chat summaries and an agent that can draft or send replies, according to the company.
Sunbird markets itself as a route to blue iMessage bubbles without an Apple device. Apple has not been reported in the supplied evidence as endorsing, authorizing or independently validating the service. For users considering the app, the relevant distinction is plain: the Play Store listing and subscription are current; the privacy and security assurances are Sunbird’s claims.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
