Messaging app compatible with iMessage

[panacabaab]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before. I'm sure I'm not the first person to have this issue but I couldn't find another thread addressing exactly what I'm asking.

I just switched to a Galaxy S5 after having an iphone for 4 years and for the first time I'm going to go over my text limit. Not having imessage is going to kill me. I just realized that Message+ and Messages are two different apps so I've been playing around with those to see which I like better.

However I'm wondering if there is an app that can send messages both as texts and ...not-texts without my friends and family having to download an additional app and without me having to use two different apps. Basically is there a messaging app out there that will send messages to my iPhone friends through iMessage so I don't have to up my text limit?

I read that there is an iMessage app but it's not legit.

Thanks in advance

 

[MLSS]

In short, no........

Imessage is an apple only messaging service.

Their are apps you can download that will send text over WiFi such as Google voice, but it requires you get a Google voice number to do so.

If you want Imessage you better stick with Apple.

 

[mikedt]

FWIW I can do iMessage with my new Macbook Air, but not my Oppo phone though, no way! Messaging that comes with Android is regular SMS provided by the carrier, or Google Hangouts.

 

[Hadron]

When iMessage was first released Jobs mooted the possibility of making it cross-platform at some point, but it never happened. I imagine that they decided that it was a competitive advantage for them to keep it Apple-only. So as others have said, you won't find an app that will send to iMessage on your friends' iPhones, and that is because that's the way Apple want it.

Your best bet is if a lot of your friends have a particular other message app installed to use that, and encourage the holdouts to join it too. That's the way my kids' friends seem to work: since they don't all have the same brand a single-platform solution like iMessage is only used when sending to individuals with the same platform, and all of their group communications use cross-platform services (WhatsApp groups seem to get a lot of use).

 

[panacabaab]

It's not that I want iMessage, but almost everyone I know uses an iPhone so switching away from it means the number of texts I send using Verizon just went through the roof and I don't have unlimited texts. And I can't ask everyone I know to download an extra app, just to save me money lol. I was hoping there would be an app out there that can send messages through different apps without using SMS. Actually I figured the Android (or is it Samsung?) Messages app would work the same way that iMessage does, except to Android phones.

Having iMessage on my computer is not really helpful as I don't bring my computer with me everywhere I go.

I don't know a lot about Google Hangouts, but I'm hesitant to try it since I hate the way Google connects everything...and keeps trying to activate a Google+ account for me.

 

[panacabaab]

Hadron - That and the inability to customize anything are why I got fed up with Apple. But I guess it's working for them. Screw me for jumping ship.

 

[Hadron]

Hangouts can send messages to other Hangouts users without using SMS, same as iMessage does with iMessage users. But both parties need Hangouts for that to work. Otherwise you can use it for SMS, but that doesn't help you.

The only difference is that you can get Hangouts for iOS, but not iMessage for Android.