The latest rumors about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) suggest that the company may be planning to introduce an Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Android version of iMessage.

This is contrary to previous beliefs that Apple would not bother creating an Android version of iMessage. However, the rumors claim that there have been mockups doing rounds in the company. The rumors claim that the firm is working on a pure Material Design style or a style similar to that used in iOS. Earlier reports had suggested that the company would unveil the Android version of iOS during the WWDC 2016 event but those expectations did not materialize.

Reports on the matter suggested that iMessage will be introduced to Android before the end of the year. Apple has already introduced an Apple Music app for Android and this means the idea of an iMessage app for the Android platform is not so far-fetched. The company has reportedly been using the mockups of the iPhone messaging app to determine how it runs on Android. The aim of the tests is to determine how the iMessage app feels and performs on the Android OS.

“I’ve heard from little birdies that mockups of iMessage for Android have circulated within the company, with varying UI styles ranging from looking like the iOS Messages app to pure Material Design,” stated John Gruber at MacWorld.

Despite the rumors about an upcoming Android version of the iMessage app, it is not clear whether Apple will go along with the plan. So far there is no confirmation and only time will tell which direction the company will take on the matter. Apple may end up deciding to keep the exclusivity of the app to iPhone users. There are currently more than 1 billion iPhone users using iMessage which is more than enough users for the company to carry out machine learning. There is also an argument that introducing iMessage to Android will not offer much benefit to Apple.

Apple stock closed the latest trading session at $114.48.