Nothing Chats proposed to solve frustrations, but forgot the most important thing!
Nothing failed the most important test
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Offering a messaging app that solves the biggest frustrations of Android and iOS users is easy, fulfilling it, not so much. Although this was the Nothing offer with the Nothing Chats service, The company has been forced to remove its application from the Play Storefor “violating the privacy of users.”
The tests provided by the developer Dylan Rousselthrough “X” and by the user @uwukkothrough the same social network, confirmed that the messaging service Nothing Chats did not comply with end-to-end encryption, as if apps like iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram do it.
Nothing chats missed the most important test
In a revealing thread on X, Roussel provided evidence confirming that service provider Sunbird, an unofficial client for iMessage, had access to information shared in the app, which included chats, photos and videos.. Likewise, he assured that there are 637,780 files that he was able to access, without this representing a great effort on his part.
Thread time!
Summary:
– Sunbird has access to every message sent and received through the app on your device.– All of the documents (images, videos, audios, pdfs, vCards…) sent through Nothing Chat AND Sunbird are public.
– Nothing Chats is not end-to-end encrypted.
— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) November 18, 2023
By bringing iMessage support to Android, Users were required to sign in with their Apple ID through the app which routes the sign-in through a Mac server farm. From the beginning, Sunbird had stated that end-to-end encryption was maintained throughout the process:
Sunbird servers do not store user data, promoting a secure and private messaging environment. With end-to-end encrypted confidential messages, Sunbird is completely secure and private.
In the midst of the complaints Nothing has removed Nothing Chats from the Play Store and will “delay” the launch to “fix several bugs.” A spokesperson for Nothing said:
We have removed the Nothing Chats beta from the Play Store and are delaying the release until further notice to work with Sunbird to fix several bugs. We apologize for the delay and will do the right thing for our users.
Although the company’s initial offer might seem promising, This security flaw means a setback that will probably be difficult to get rid of for some time. And after Apple’s recent announcement confirming that iPhones will have support for RCS messaging, its main attraction, the outlook seems less promising.
For its part, Apple has won without trying. The situation has made it clear why the alternatives do not guarantee the security and privacy that Cupertino carries as the banner of its products.
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