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OpenBubbles

Shares rank 44 of 48 messaging apps by recommenders

Free app that brings iMessage to Android and Windows by connecting directly to Apple's servers, without needing a Mac or your iPhone running alongside.

Free app that brings iMessage to Android and Windows by connecting directly to Apple's servers, without needing a Mac or your iPhone running alongside.

5 people gave an opinion

recommend it
5
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 5 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: not recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
  • Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Connects directly to Apple's servers

    “What's nice about that is that it just hooks directly into Apple's servers, so doesn't require a connection to your phone or anything.”

    Comment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Tether: iMessage, SMS, etc. on Linux”

    “It's even better as it does not require the Mac to act like a server.”

    Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “IUseLinux: Access iMessage from your Linux (or windows) computer”
  • Runs iMessage on Windows and Android

    “I was able to have it up and running on my daily driver. Win 11 is now much more enjoyable”

    Comment from 30 Aug 2026 on Hacker News

    “It gets iMessage on Android devices and works fine.”

    Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Phone is about to stop being yours”

Other messaging apps people recommend

The four most recommended other messaging apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

OpenBubbles compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Signal48633060%139 yrs5 owners—
Discord40073335%1210 yrs24 owners—
WhatsApp30050337%122 yrs3 owners—
Telegram22921152%1210 yrs4 owners—
OpenBubblesThis page50100%5——
See all 48 messaging apps, ranked

What people said

5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“has made staying in the walled iMessage garden such a breeze”

RecommendsComment from 14 Oct 2026 in “DAVx⁵ – CalDAV / CardDAV / WebDAV for Android”

“I was able to have it up and running on my daily driver. Win 11 is now much more enjoyable”

RecommendsComment from 30 Aug 2026 on Hacker News

“What's nice about that is that it just hooks directly into Apple's servers, so doesn't require a connection to your phone or anything.”

RecommendsComment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Tether: iMessage, SMS, etc. on Linux”

“It gets iMessage on Android devices and works fine.”

RecommendsComment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Phone is about to stop being yours”

“It's even better as it does not require the Mac to act like a server.”

RecommendsComment from 30 Dec 2025 in “IUseLinux: Access iMessage from your Linux (or windows) computer”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.