:marseycodecel: Chat app that brings iMessage to Android turns out to be a privacy nightmare :marseysurprisedpikachu:

https://twitter.com/evowizz/status/1725872540873081000
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I'm pretty sure unless apple creates the app it should not be possible (at the very least not possible as a public scaled app) to implement iMsg on another OS. iMsg system uses Apple's encryption keys and therefore the device would have to at least have its own trusted key ... wtf did this dev do just frickin route all texts to a 3rd party ios instance or something? I'm intrigued.

Either way Apple would have to have a hand in it since iMessages aren't even texts it's just an apple branded whatsapp/signal/telegram/element no?

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I think it was actually to a Mac that then used the Mac version of the messages app, but yeah. Pretty much that.

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wtf did this dev do just frickin route all texts to a 3rd party ios instance or something?

afaik that's exactly how this works, unless im thinking of another version of the same thing

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There are existing, working methods of doing exactly what this app does without the security problems, but they require the user to have a MacOS instance running at all times for the phone to funnel the texts through (VMs are sufficient so no apple hardware required)

https://bluebubbles.app


Current hyperfixation: https://i.rdrama.net/images/17146091388618665.webp

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Yea that's what I was thinking of, I almost did that because it was getting annoying transfering files between my iphone and android. I ended up going with another solution ..I really didn't feel like having a mac instance running at all times with internet just to xfer files.

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iMsg system uses Apple's encryption keys

What the frick, Apple has access to your keys on imessage? That's a terrible system

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Not necessarily. I am pretty sure they do not need to know what your private key is in order to verify that it is you.

Just because they facilitate the creation of the key, doesn't mean they need to know what the resulting key is. If I am remembering right, the generation happens on the phone itself and doesn't ever leave the phone (and to take it a step further I am pretty sure the ~newer iphones have a separate chip dedicated to doing only that, which separates it even further from the files in the phone and improves security substantially).

There's obviously no way to know for sure whether that key is sent to apple, but I'd argue that past jailbreakers would have been able to see if that were the case and would have called apple out on it causing gigadrama.

Anyway, as much as I despise apple, this is a legitimate reason as to why android does not have imessages and is the actual reason for the bubble colors. SMS is extremely insecure.

But with that said, since apple will finally be switching from SMS texts to the RCS protocol, Everyone gets to have encryption + the benefits of any typical messenger app (bigger file size, different file types like pdf, location sharing or whatever, etc.)

Literally no reason to try and bootleg an iMessages (even if apple wasn't switching to RCS, anyone can just use a universal messenger app)

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Have you owned the libs yet?

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2021 called, it wants your comment back

fricking owned

:@89wcpat:

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you're correct, they have a robust key management system and use a "secure enclave"


Follower of Christ :marseyandjesus: Tech lover, IT Admin, heckin pupper lover and occasionally troll. I hold back feelings or opinions, right or wrong because I dislike conflict.

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Follower of Christ :marseyandjesus: Tech lover, IT Admin, heckin pupper lover and occasionally troll. I hold back feelings or opinions, right or wrong because I dislike conflict.

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