One of Android's best audacious weaknesses is its abridgement of an iMessage equivalent. While Google afresh arise Allo, it doesn't abutment the cardinal one affection that iMessage users blow about: sending and accepting letters from either their iPhone or computer. That is, of course, until now. There's one app that will acquiesce Android users to acquaintance iMessage on their non-Apple phone.
This brings us to weMessage, a chargeless actionable iMessage applicant app for Android. You will allegation to accept a Mac computer, aback weServer, the accompanying server-side application, requires it and aback iMessage can't be spoofed on Windows yet.
While programs like this accept popped up in the past, they usually get taken bottomward almost bound because of absorb claims. This app, which was developed by Roman Scott, an avant-garde 16-year-old programmer, has been up for over a ages so far, so it has some amount of blockage power.
Scott additionally promised to accumulate it animate as continued as accessible and consistently amend it with new features, such as SMS abutment (so you can use it as your absence messaging app on Android). Either way, you should booty advantage of this affairs while it lasts.
Step 1: Install the JDK on Your Mac
You allegation the Java SE Development Kit (JDK) installed on your Mac in adjustment to run the weServer program. Without accepting Java, the weServer appliance won't be able to alpha up.
There's a acceptable adventitious you've already installed the JDK at some point, but if you haven't (or aren't sure), you can calmly check. Accessible up Terminal, afresh blazon in java to see. If you get an absurdity adage to download it, afresh you acutely don't accept it, so go advanced and download the Java JDK from Oracle.
On the Downloads page, accomplish abiding to bang on the button that says "Accept License Agreement," afresh bang on the DMG book beneath it for the "macOS" version. It's a ample file, so it may booty a few minutes. Already it's downloaded, abstract the files (they may automatically be extracted, depending on your settings).
Step 2: Accord Terminal Accessibility Permissions
The weServer appliance runs central of Terminal, accordingly you allegation to accord Terminal rights to ascendancy your computer so that it can appropriately run.
Open up the "System Preferences" on your Mac, afresh go to "Security & Privacy." From there, bang on the "Privacy" tab and cross to "Accessibility" in the ancillary menu. From the account on the right, if you see that Terminal is listed and checked, you accept annihilation added to do.
If you see neither, bang on the lock in the bottom-left bend and admission your countersign aback prompted. Next, either analysis Terminal in the account or bang on the + assurance to add it to the list. You can acquisition Terminal in Applications –> Utilities. Bang on "Open" already selected, and Terminal will automatically be arrested in the list.
Step 3: Install weServer on Your Mac
Now, you allegation to download weServer, which does all the abundant appropriation aback sending and accepting iMessages on your Android device. From that link, baddest "Download for macOS" to get the newest adaptation available.
Warning: This account is free, admitting the developer did originally allegation for it, but it's a closed-source appliance so there's no way to acquaint if article abroad is activity on besides what is claimed. It could do annihilation with its accepted permissions, including keylogging or accessing credentials, so be abiding you're accept with the risk, abnormally if you plan on application this remotely.
Once it's done downloading, abstract the ZIP file, afresh double-click the "run.command" book in the weServer binder to alpha up weServer in Terminal.
Depending on the Gatekeeper preferences on your Mac, you may get a popup that says it "can't be opened because it is from an anonymous developer." If that's the case, you can either adjust your security settings to acquiesce apps from anonymous developers or accessible it this one time by right-clicking on run.command, selecting "Open" from the contextual menu, afresh "Open" afresh on the popup.
After aperture up the run.command file, weServer will accessible up in Terminal, as that's the affairs it works through (as mentioned in Step 2).
Step 4: Set Up Your iMessage Account with weServer
Right afterwards aperture up the weServer in Terminal, it will ask you to admission your iMessage email and password. Your email needs to be the aforementioned one you use for iMessage, but your countersign can be anything. Don't use the countersign affiliated to your Apple ID, for security reasons. Actualize a new countersign aloof for weServer, and save it in LastPass or addition countersign administrator you accept for safe keeping.
Once you admission those successfully, your weServer will start, and will say so.
Step 5: Install weMessage on Your Android Phone
Next, you'll allegation to install the weMessage app on your Android phone. To do that, either chase for "weMessage" on Google Play or use the articulation beneath to jump appropriate to it. Tap on "Install" to download and install it, afresh accessible it up.
When you accessible up weMessage, it'll ask you for the IP abode of your weServer, your iMessage email address, and your weServer password. As you could apparently guess, the email and countersign are the aforementioned from Step 4 above, but the IP abode will either be the clandestine or accessible IP abode of your Mac, depending on how you appetite to use weMessage.
Step 6: Acquisition Your Mac's IP Address
If you alone appetite to use weMessage aback you're at home or on the aforementioned arrangement that your Mac is affiliated to, you can use the clandestine IP abode to affix to the weServer. However, if you appetite to use weMessage no amount area you are, you'll appetite to accept a accessible IP abode so that you don't accept to be affiliated to the aforementioned bounded arrangement as your Mac. Aloof agenda that this is a riskier advantage if weServer anytime turns into a RAT or botnet aback you're absolution it bypass your firewall.
Option 1: Application a Clandestine IP Address
To acquisition your Mac's clandestine IP abode to bung into the weMessage app's login page, accessible up "System Preferences," afresh bang on "Network." You can additionally aloof bang on the Wi-Fi logo in your card bar, afresh baddest "Open Arrangement Preferences."
Next, bang on the "Advanced" button, afresh cross to the "TCP/IP" tab. Your Mac's clandestine IP abode for your bounded arrangement will be abutting to the IPv4 Address label. Blazon this into the weMessage app login folio to use weMessage whenever your Android and Mac are on the aforementioned arrangement connection.
Option 2: Application a Accessible IP Address
In adjustment to affix to your Mac no amount area you are, you'll allegation to set up anchorage forwarding, which opens up a allotment of your internet arrangement to the alfresco world. As continued as no one abroad knows your accessible IP address, you should abide safe. By application your accessible IP abode with weMessage, you're acceptance weServer to bypass the firewall on your network's router.
Unfortunately, every router handles this action differently, so you'll allegation to analysis your router's chiral or do a quick Google chase to see how to admission your router's settings. In general, to ability your router settings, there will either be an IP abode or argument URL that you allegation to blazon into the abode bar of your web browser
For instance, Netgear routers would appointment routerlogin.net or routerlogin.com, while best Belkin routers would use 192.168.2.1. Digital Trends has a acceptable account of accepted router addresses with absence login credentials, but the abode you allegation to log into, as able-bodied as the absence router credentials, can sometimes be begin printed appropriate on the router itself. Some routers alike accept adaptable apps you can use.
Once you log in to your router, "Port Forwarding" will usually be in the "Advanced Settings." Here, you should be able to accord the affiliation a name (we chose "weServer"), add your Mac's clandestine IP abode (which you can acquisition in the antecedent advantage above), ascribe the antecedent and destination ports (for weServer, use 22222 for both), and baddest the appropriate agreement (should say TCP or TCP/UDP).
Now that all of that's done, the alone affair larboard to do is acquisition your Mac's accessible IP address. You can do this artlessly by activity to a armpit like IP Chicken or WhatIsMyIP.
Step 7: Log into weMessage on Your Android Phone
After you've called whether to use your Mac's clandestine or accessible IP address, admission it into the weMessage app on your Android phone, forth with your iMessage email abode and weServer password, afresh tap "Sign In."
You'll apperceive things are alive aback it says in weServer on your Mac that your Android phone has connected. Your accepted iMessages won't be imported, but you'll see all new conversations that booty abode as they happen.
Step 8: Accompany Your iMessage Contacts with weMessage
Before you alpha application weMessage, it's best to accompany your iMessage contacts with weMessage. To do so, you allegation to accord Terminal (on your Mac) admission to your contacts so that your weServer can accelerate your iMessage contacts to weMessage. In the weMessage app on your Android phone, tap on the "Settings" cog figure in the top-left corner. From here, tap on "Sync Contacts," afresh "Start Process."
If you don't get prompted or weServer allotment an error, accessible up "System Preferences," afresh go to "Security & Privacy." Bang on the "Privacy" tab, afresh on "Contacts" from the larboard menu. Accomplish abiding "Terminal" is arrested on the appropriate side. If Terminal is open, you may allegation to restart it for the change to booty effect, afresh tap on "Start Process" afresh in the weMessage settings.
It will booty a few moments for your contacts to sync, but aback it's done, you should get a "Contact Accompany Success" active in the weMessage app on your Android phone. Tap "Okay" on that, afresh go aback to the homepage to alpha messaging people.
Step 9: Alpha Chatting via iMessage on Android
Begin a new chat by borer the + figure in the bottom-right bend of the weMessage homepage. Your contacts should arise afore you, but you can consistently admission a cardinal or email manually yourself.
After you hit the amphitheater abutting to a acquaintance to analysis them, you can alpha accounting at the basal area it says "Enter a message." To actualize a accumulation message, artlessly tap on assorted circles afore typing.
Note: There is a bug that can anticipate your contacts' names from actuality displayed in the account of "Conversations," but you can still bulletin them all the same.
iMessage Appearance You Can Use on weMessages
While weMessage doesn't accommodate all of iMessage's features, it added a few key appearance from its iOS counterpart. For starters, aback you're in a chat in weMessage, you can tap the + figure on the larboard of the argument box to add media to adorn your messages. Your screenshots and pictures will arise by default, but borer the camera figure will acquiesce you to booty a cast new picture. By borer "Voice," you can almanac your own articulation letters to send.
You can additionally tap on the "i" in the top-right bend to accompany up added advice about your contact. Here, you can about-face on a "Do Not Disturb" approach that silences notifications from that individual, and you can additionally "Block" them. Borer "Edit" in the top-right bend will additionally acquiesce you to change the contact's name and picture.
Also, some iMessage awning and bulletin furnishings work. While you can't accelerate any of these effects, you can accept them. We activated them all out and begin out the alone ones that assignment appropriate now are Loud, Gentle, Invisible Ink, Confetti, Fireworks, and Shooting Star.
Step 10: Accomplish Abiding weServer Is Consistently On
In adjustment for your weServer to assignment properly, it will allegation to be able to admission the internet at all times. As continued as you accumulate weServer active in Terminal, you should be acceptable to go, alike if your Mac avalanche asleep. If for some acumen your Mac is not responding aback sending and accepting iMessages, you could use the caffeinate command in Terminal to accumulate it alive until you conciliate it.
If you accept a MacBook and appetite to abutting the display, you can try application InsomniaX to accumulate the computer on with the affectation closed, but accumulate in apperception that the developer no best supports this software, so don't apprehend updates of any kind.
Useful Commands for weServer on Your Mac
Whenever you appetite to stop application the weServer, you can aloof blazon stop into the weServer Terminal window and hit enter. Aside from that, there are added Terminal commands you can use on your weServer. You can acquisition a complete account of weServer commands on the developer's website.
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