Google and the three major U.carriers, including Verizon, AT&and T-Mobile, will all support a new communications protocol on Android smartphones starting in 2022, a move that puts pressure on Apple to adopt a new cross-platform messaging standard and may present a challenge to iMessage. Verizon recently announced that it is planning to adopt Messages by Google as its default messaging service on Android devices, joining AT&T and T-Mobile.

Link: Android iMessage Competitor Puts Pressure on Apple
via http://www.macrumors.com