Update: Regardless of the news below, at least Google is making it easier for Android users to text their iPhone friends

Apple's iMessage could have come to Android in 2013 if Apple had not decided to cancel the project and make it exclusive to iOS However, it turns out that not everyone was on board with that decision

This fact came to light as part of an ongoing legal dispute between Apple and Epic Games According to a publicly available deposition of Eddy Cue, the executive responsible for Apple's numerous digital services and storefronts revealed that he had wanted to bring iMessage to Android eight years ago However, Apple quickly dropped the idea

The Epic Games case previously revealed that Apple had dropped the idea of launching iMessage on Android However, according to newly released documents, the decision to kill the idea was not completely unanimous

Both Craig Federighi, SVP of Software Engineering and head of iOS, and Phil Schiller, head of the App Store, opposed the idea They believed that launching a cross-platform version of iMessage would "merely remove [an] obstacle for iPhone families to get their children Android phones"

Cue disagreed with this argument and found that Apple had already recommended making iMessage on Android an "official project" The idea of that project was to provide a way for both iOS and Android users to "seamlessly exchange messages"

Key's argument was that Apple had the best messaging service at the time and that porting it to Android could be an "industry standard" As Kew pointed out, search giant Google already had search, email, video, and a browser under its umbrella at the time

Unfortunately, the remainder of the conversation, which may be related to iMessage, has been redacted, and it is impossible to see what else Cue said on the topic

With hindsight, however, we can see that Cue's fears did not turn out as he had imagined Google has struggled with messaging apps for years, and while there were several attempts to offer instant messaging, it never really took off

The company has been pushing for mass adoption of RCS messaging, like iMessage, for the past few years, but it has not had a significant impact Indeed, RCS is not supported on the iPhone

Instead, Facebook-owned WhatsApp has established itself as a solid cross-platform messenger Nevertheless, it could be said that WhatsApp had already run its course

The question is, what impact did iMessage on Android have? Will people really buy iPhones just for iMessage? iMessage is one of the better benefits of using an iPhone and communicating with other iPhone users, but I'm not sure how much of a selling point it is

Parents who want a better way to stay in touch with their children may be able to make it all cleaner by buying an iPhone If iMessage were on Android, parents could buy the best budget phone under $200 iPhone SE is $399

If iMessage had launched on Android eight years ago, it would have been a huge benefit to Android users and would have given Apple an edge in the instant messaging arena So where is the incentive to do so?

Unfortunately, the prospect of making iMessage available for Android seems to be out of reach right now Kew himself testified that it would have been possible back in 2013, but "because of the features that have been added to Messages, that will not be the case over time"

In other words, iMessage has evolved on Apple's platform over the years, suggesting that there are more logistical hurdles than porting the app straight to Android