I'm proudly not using Apple products, but I have no sympathy for Google here. Google's first messenger, Google Talk was a robust, cross-platform product which always made sure messages arrived (many others like Skype or MS messenger couldn't get that simple tenet right), didn't require a phone number and could be used from multiple devices. But then there was hangout, now chat, and each new product has been a step back from the previous one. The protracted demise of Hangouts didn't boost confidence in the product strategy either.