You can now send iMessages from an Android smartphone (but there's a catch)

ANDROID smartphone owners can now send blue-bubbled iMessage texts to their friends on iPhones, but there's a catch.

Android owners can send iMessage text messages to iPhone users GETTY • APPLE

Android owners can send iMessage text messages to iPhone users

iMessage is exclusive to iPhone and macOS devices.

The Apple messaging service, which is easily recognisable thanks to its iconic blue text bubbles, enables Apple hardware owners to send end-to-end encrypted texts, images, GIFs, video and stickers.

These messages are synced across devices, so iOS users can draft a message on their smartphone and then send the finished message from their Mac.

Messages from Android users will appear in green bubbles.

These are limited to text, images and videos. Stickers, as well as the animation effects introduced in iOS 10, are not supported.

Android users cannot join an iMessage group chat, either. Until now, that is.

Messaging service WeMessage enables green-bubbled users to join their iPhone-touting friends in group chats on iMessage.

Fullscreen animations have also been added to Messages, to help you express your emotions APPLE

Fullscreen animations have also been added to Messages, to help you express your emotions

There is no shortage of apps on the Google Play Store that claim to enable Android owners to send blue-bubbled texts to iPhone users.

However, many of these are fakes designed to pilfer your details, and others rely on exploits in the code for iMessage to work.

That's not something Apple is too happy about, resulting in the prompt shutdown of the vast majority of these apps.

WeMessage is different because it doesn't use an exploit to bring iMessage texts to Android, however, it does require an Apple Mac to work.

It is able to handle one-on-one iMessage conversations as well as group chats. Android users are able to send attachments, use iMessage animation effects, and enable Read Receipts.

WeMessage lets Android phone owners send iMessage texts WEMESSAGE

WeMessage lets Android phone owners send iMessage texts

WeMessage is also encrypted, so your private conversations will stay private.

Unfortunately, the service isn't able to access your old iMessages, so your chat history from before you started using the app will not appear in the app.

The messaging service works by setting up a server on your macOS device to send and receive messages via iMessage, which are then forwarded to the app on your Android phone.

To set-up WeMessage, you'll first need to install the company's weServer software on your Mac.

That will require installing a Java SE Development Kit and altering your System Preference to give the server Terminal rights.

With that out of the way, download WeServer and load-up the ZIP file.

Find the file in the folder labelled "run.command" file and double-click it to launch WeServer.

Once this launches, the app will ask for the email address associated with your iMessage account.

Users are then required to pick a new password for their WeServer.

Once you've finished the set-up process on your Mac, it's time to install WeMessage on your Android smartphone.

After the app launches, it will ask for Mac's IP address, along with the email and password you've just used on your computer.

Once completed, your contacts should automatically populate the app so you can start texting right away.

Going forward, it's unlikely Apple lets the app continue to allow Android users to send iMessage texts to iPhone owners.

It wants to keep the feature exclusive to iOS.

That said, WeMessage has already been running for over a month with no intervention fro Apple.

Roman Scott, the developer behind the app, told LifeHacker that he'll try to keep it running for as long as possible.