Nothing Chats Associate Sunbird Informs Customers of Non permanent Shutdown Amid Reviews of Safety Points

Nothing Chats companion Sunbird has knowledgeable customers that it has quickly shut down its messaging platform, following reviews of a number of safety points affecting the service. The corporate was just lately within the information after it emerged because the companion for smartphone maker Nothing’s iMessage chat app for Android. Customers of the app that guarantees entry to chats from completely different platforms together with WhatsApp, Instagram, and iMessage on the identical app, have acquired a message stating that the corporate would supply further info sooner or later.

In a message shared with Sunbird customers over the weekend, the corporate introduced its determination to place the service on maintain quickly. “Expensive Sunbird Person. We have now determined to pause Sunbird utilization for now whereas we examine safety considerations. We are going to replace you after we are able to proceed,” the corporate said in a push notification despatched to customers.

A reddit consumer shared a screenshot of the message despatched to Sunbird testers
Photograph Credit score: Imgur/ Reddit (ijeffgarden)

One other notification from Sunbird said, “Good afternoon everybody. We’re investigating the safety points raised within the final 24 hours. In an abundance of warning and to guard your confidential knowledge, we’re shutting down Sunbird media quickly. We are going to maintain you posted. Thanks & honest apologies, for the inconvenience.

The shutdown of the Sunbird app comes shortly after Nothing pulled its a lot hyped Nothing Chats app from the Play Retailer — the corporate touted its app as a approach to message iPhone customers by way of Apple’s proprietary iMessage chat service whereas utilizing the corporate’s Nothing Telephone 2. The just lately introduced Nothing Chats and Sunbird — beforehand accessible to alpha testers — each ran on the latter’s service.

Over the weekend, 9to5Google reported on a number of points with the Nothing Chats service that exposed that Sunbird was able to accessing all messages and attachments (media, paperwork, and speak to playing cards) that had been acquired and despatched by way of the Nothing chats app as they had been public. Nothing Chats asks customers to log in with their Apple ID, which might allow entry to iMessage by way of a Mac server farm, in accordance with reviews. 

In the meantime, rival messaging platform, Texts.com additionally revealed a weblog submit that highlighted a number of safety flaws with the service — even demonstrating how the app’s declare of ‘end-to-end encrypted’ messages was false because the plain textual content model of those messages was simply accessible.

Whereas Nothing has restricted the obtain of the Nothing Chats app, Sunbird seems to have shut down entry to its app to repair the myriad of privateness and safety points plaguing the service. It’s at the moment unclear when Nothing Telephone 2 house owners can anticipate to realize entry to the service.

With Apple agreeing to implement assist for RCS messaging in 2024, it is solely a matter of time earlier than texting between iOS and Android customers sees an unlimited enchancment, which could negate the necessity for yet one more third-party texting app.