Concerns over message encryption have prompted Sunbird, the Android equivalent of iMessage, to halt operations due to security issues temporarily.

Sunbird was a 2022 startup that provided end-to-end encryption, no data collecting, and ad-free messaging in an attempt to settle the blue-green bubble controversy.

Carl Pei's phone brand, Nothing, and Sunbird worked together last week to launch Nothing Chats.

(Photo : Unsplash/Kelly Sikkema)

Sunbird Down Due to Security Reasons

A few days after it was released, Nothing discovered a number of flaws that led to the app's removal from the Play Store.

Accordingly, doubts were raised concerning Sunbird's encryption assertions as research revealed that media files were externally kept despite their assertions that their servers did not hold any data and that messages might not be completely secured.

These worries have prompted this service halt, highlighting the necessity for additional research into the security and functionality of the software.

When the app was removed from the Play Store, Nothing said that many bugs had to be fixed in the app.

It was in this article that Texts.blog highlighted issues with the encryption of Sunbird's communications. This concern was highlighted by Android developer Dylan Rousell, who discovered that Sunbird was storing large numbers of media files in the Firebase cloud service.

This finding contradicts Sunbird's claim that no data was stored on its servers; that means the data is exported even if it is not saved to a file.

Another source shared privacy worries arose regarding Sunbird as 9To5Google discovered its loss of stop-to-quit encryption, enabling easy access to different users' picture files.

Reportedly, over 630,000 documents have been available, opposite Sunbird's claim of no longer storing data on its servers via Firebase.

Subreddit r/Sunbird shared notifications, halting Sunbird utilization amid ongoing safety investigations.

Meanwhile, the app associated with Nothing confronted quick elimination from the app store following privacy alerts. Nothing announced the withdrawal of the Nothing Chats beta, aiming to deal with more than one insect in collaboration with Sunbird earlier than relaunching the app.

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About Sunbird's Nothing Chats

The Nothing Chats software allows users to access iMessage on Android through Sunbird asks users to sign up with their Apple ID, and promises content but not message encryption.

Issuing Apple ID credentials to outsiders raised security concerns, especially with removing dormant credentials.

Any regulatory action from Apple could affect Apple's sustainability.

There was Nothing that CEO Carl Pei cast doubt on Apple's possible involvement and said it was unlikely. Nothing Chats, intended to be similar to iMessage features, didn't work, but its advanced features were limited.

Experimental versions revealed missing capabilities such as group message challenges, partial Tapback responses, and message switching.

Nothing Chats pledged updates, including typing indicators, uncompressed media sharing, and plans for reading receipts and reactions.

Initial access to Sunbird primarily targeted Nothing Phone 2 owners.

Uncertainty looms regarding Apple's stance as the feature launch nears, as Pei aims for discussions rather than disruption. The EU's investigation into iMessage's categorization as an Apple "core platform service" further complicates the scenario.

Apple's position on Nothing's plans remains pending.

Related Article: Nothing Phone to Bring iMessage to Android: Revolutionary Integration on the Horizon