Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure.

Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure.

      Sunbird makes a return to Android with enhanced encryption and an AI assistant on the horizon.

      Sunbird's aspiration to provide Android users with a blue bubble experience is making another pass, and this time the company claims to have gained your trust. Sunbird Messaging, the application that allows Android users to participate in iMessage conversations without the stigma of the green bubble, is now available on the Google Play Store after remaining inactive since 2023.

      Previously, security experts found that the app was transmitting Apple ID credentials over unencrypted connections and was silently recording user messages through a debugging tool, despite Sunbird's public assertions of complete end-to-end encryption. This revelation prompted both Sunbird and its partnership with Nothing Phone to abruptly cease operations.

      What's new in the updated Sunbird app?

      According to Sunbird, messages are now encrypted on the device, encrypted again during transit, and stored using AES 256 encryption while on the device. CEO Danny Mizrahi stated that an independent security firm reviewed the revised app and identified no significant vulnerabilities, noting that Apple ID passwords are employed only once to initiate a session and are then completely removed.

      The app also launches a new priority inbox, categorizing conversations into Primary and Secondary tabs to prevent important chats from being lost. Beyond iMessage, Sunbird has integrated Google Messages and SMS into one inbox, with plans to incorporate WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger later this year.

      What lies ahead for Sunbird?

      Sunbird also hinted at an AI assistant named Sunbird Intelligence, anticipated to launch in the third quarter of 2026, aimed at summarizing missed conversations and assisting in drafting responses. Reportedly, over 181,000 individuals signed up during the app’s closed access phase preceding this relaunch. Whether Sunbird has resolved the issues that led to its previous shutdown is a question that only time—and likely another external security audit—will clarify.

      Manisha Priyadarshini is a tech and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.

      WhatsApp is simplifying the process for channel admins to label AI-generated posts, as not every image in your preferred channel is as genuine as it appears.

      WhatsApp previously allowed channel admins to mark sponsored posts with a paid partnership label, a feature that began rolling out last month on Android and iOS. Now, the app is developing something similar, this time for AI-generated media. The goal is to keep followers informed when a photo or video is created by an AI tool rather than captured by a camera.

      How will the new AI label function?

      Read more.

      Meta has inadvertently hosted ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse content, continuing years of shortcomings in child safety measures.

      According to a recent investigation by Wired, Meta's ad platform has run multiple paid advertisements featuring explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery over the past nine months, some of which remained active even after the company was made aware of them.

      If this situation feels familiar, that's likely because it is. Just weeks before this latest report, a separate BBC investigation uncovered that Instagram was running paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India, directing users to Telegram channels that sell illegal content.

      Read more.

      Apple’s iCloud Private Relay may not be as secure as you believe, as your actual IP address might be leaking, with passkeys being the culprits.

      If you subscribe to iCloud+ and depend on Private Relay to conceal your IP address while browsing, this information may concern you. New research by security experts Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry, first reported by 404 Media, reveals that Private Relay does not protect your IP address as effectively as Apple claims.

      How does the leak actually occur?

      Read more.

Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure. Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure.

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Sunbird reintroduces its iMessage app for Android, three years following a privacy controversy that led to its closure.

Sunbird Messaging is making a comeback on Android following its shutdown in 2023, introducing encryption improvements, a priority inbox, and an AI assistant set to launch later this year.