A Mac-based message setup can lose control if a relay sits in the middle
Using iMessage inside the Hermes iOS UX may create a security tradeoff. Photon is not a transport that the user runs themselves; it is a third-party relay service operated by or its vendors. Hermes keeps a persistent open to Photon, receives incoming messages through Photon servers, and sends outgoing messages through the Photon API.
That means message content passes through outside the user’s control. BlueBubbles and Matrix work differently. BlueBubbles keeps message handling tied to the user’s Mac Messages app, while Matrix can keep message handling inside a Matrix server.
Clear details about Photon’s , legal jurisdiction, and EU guarantees were not found. For trust, Photon is closer to Telegram than to a Matrix setup.
Key points
- Photon is a third-party relay, not a transport.
- Hermes can route iMessage traffic through Photon servers and the Photon API.
- BlueBubbles keeps handling closer to the user’s own Mac Messages app.
- Matrix can run on a controlled by the user.
- Photon’s retention, jurisdiction, and EU details are unclear.