Sunbird, renowned for integrating iMessage with Android, has temporarily halted its service. This move is in response to security concerns. In a statement to its users, Sunbird highlighted its decision to pause operations to investigate claims suggesting that its messages might not be entirely end-to-end encrypted.
Sunbird’s launch and features
Debuted in 2022, Sunbird’s primary goal was to ease messaging between Android and iOS users, targeting the longstanding blue vs. green bubble battle. Initially, access to the app was exclusive to waitlisted users. It promoted several privacy-oriented features, such as end-to-end encryption, a commitment to not collecting message data, and an absence of advertisements.
Collaboration with Nothing and subsequent removal
The recent collaboration with Nothing, led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, resulted in the launch of Nothing Chats. This new service, powered by Sunbird, was designed to enable Phone 2 users to utilise iMessage. However, the app faced removal from the Google Play Store within a day of its release. Though Nothing cited the need to fix several bugs, this coincided with a report from Texts.blog raising doubts about Sunbird’s encryption.
Data storage controversy and ongoing silence
Further complicating matters, Android developer Dylan Roussel discovered that Sunbird stored many media files on Firebase, a cloud service. This contradicts Sunbird’s assurance of not storing data on its servers, suggesting that the company might transfer data externally. Sunbird has yet to address these issues publicly.
