Creating a multi-chat client

Question

How do I create a XMPP chat client in Android for Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc., How do Nimbizz, eBuddy, Fring do it?

Answer 1

Use Smack API. It provides all you need.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

You need to implement every single protocol your IM platforms use:

1. GTALK (XMPP)
2. Yahoo (proprietary protocol)
3. AOL (Oscar)

So on, so forth.

Alternatively, you can have a SINGLE PROTOCOL on your Android device and use a PROXY IM SERVER to connect to all accounts (I think this is the way FRING and EBUDDY do it, not sure though).

Answer 3

The Pidgin IM client has its own libpurple, which implements pretty much all of the major IM protocols. There's some details and dogs on their site about the architecture.

But, basically, unless the IM network has published the specs on their protocol, most multi-network clients have to do reverse engineering (and/or just grab details from something like libpurple) to do their own implementations.