Messaging app Nothing Chats has been removed from the Play Store just one day after its release, with the company delaying its launch indefinitely. Nothing Chats, which is based on Sunbird, was positioned as a solution to the ongoing texting divide between Android and Apple users, offering support for both RCS and iMessage. However, critics have raised concerns about the security risks associated with such workarounds, arguing that Nothing Chats is a less secure messaging option.
One major issue highlighted in a teardown of the app by 9to5google is the lack of end-to-end encryption. Additionally, the investigation found that attachments sent by other users could easily be accessed in plain text. These findings have further supported concerns raised by others about Sunbird’s use of HTTP instead of HTTPS. Kishan Bagaria, founder of Texts.com, described the app as “extremely insecure” and revealed that his team discovered that all outgoing texts are being leaked to a sentry server in plaintext.
Nothing has not directly addressed the privacy issues but has stated that it is working with Sunbird to address several bugs and ensure the app meets user expectations. The announcement of Nothing Chats was made on November 14, and the beta version was released on Friday.
