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It may seem strange to those not familiar with the debate, but some Really Pay attention to the color of the chat bubbles. Maybe you’ve never thought about it. If you have an iPhone, you may notice that the people you text sometimes see a green bubble instead of a blue bubble. However, if you use Android, you’ve probably had at least someone in your life complain about your text messages. you.
Some people only care about the aesthetics of their text messages, but it’s not really a “green vs. blue” issue. Rather, it’s about the negative messaging experience on iOS that greets green bubble users, anyone with an Android device.
Use iMessage to send text messages on your iPhone. iMessage has modern chat features such as typing indicators (when someone is composing a message he will see three dots bubble), high-quality photos and videos, location sharing, and group chats that work well. We provide However, when an iPhone sends a message to his Android, it uses SMS, an outdated messaging protocol that has been around since at least 1995. In addition to the bubbles changing color, the quality of photos and videos will be drastically reduced, group chats will go wild, and worst of all, there is no end-to-end encryption, making it less secure.
Of course, this is not the fault of Android users or the Android OS. I enjoy the Apple ecosystem, but this really rests on Apple’s shoulders. Instead of forcing Android devices to use SMS when sending text messages, Apple could have simply adopted RCS, a more modern messaging protocol that includes many of the features that iPhone users have. You’ll come to expect it from iMessage. Android devices using RCS already have access to high-quality media, functional group chat, and end-to-end encryption. Why can’t it be done on iPhone? Because Apple doesn’t want it.
Apple could also allow users to change their default messaging app to something like WhatsApp or Telegram, but this setting is currently not available on iOS. Not only will this start competition with iMessage, but users will no longer be able to send and receive messages as Apple will have to allow third-party messaging apps to send and receive messages from carriers. have For messages sent directly to your phone number, check through the Messages app. I don’t have very strong feelings about this, but the US government does.
The Department of Justice isn’t happy with any of this bubble business.
This is no longer just a consumer issue. As part of a major lawsuit against Apple, the US Department of Justice is accusing the company of anti-competitive messaging policies. The Department of Justice alleges that Apple intentionally makes the overall messaging experience on non-Apple devices worse in order to encourage customers to buy iPhones.
Here is an excerpt from the lawsuit that briefly explains this:
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For example, if an iPhone user sends a message to a non-iPhone user in Apple Messages (the iPhone’s default messaging app), the iPhone user will see the text as a green bubble and have limited functionality. That is, conversations are not encrypted and videos are not encrypted. It’s pixelated and grainy, and users can’t edit messages or see input indicators. This means that the user will have a poorer experience sending messages to friends and family who don’t own an iPhone, even though the cause of his poor experience lies with his Apple, not his rival’s smartphone. sends a signal to the user that the current is low.
Green bubbles are officially a US government issue.
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The Justice Department not only accuses Apple of making messaging worse outside of its ecosystem, but also points to the social stigma this experience causes among certain demographics, especially younger users.
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Many non-iPhone users also experience social stigma, exclusion, and stigmatization by “breaking” chats where other participants have iPhones. This effect is especially strong for certain demographics, such as teenagers, whose iPhone share is 85%, according to one study. This social pressure strengthens switching costs and encourages users to keep buying iPhones. Apple’s smartphone advantage has become stronger not because Apple has improved its smartphones, but because they have become less capable of communicating with other smartphones.
mic drop.
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The Department of Justice also includes citations supporting that assessment. It highlights a March 2016 email forwarded from Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing to CEO Tim Cook, which states, “Moving iMessage to Android will require us to… It would do more harm than good.” But the more damning quote, at least in my opinion, came from the 2022 Q&A. “It’s hard not to make it personal, but you can’t send certain videos to your mother,” said one person who questioned Cook. Apple’s CEO replied, “Buy your mom an iPhone.” ah.
the situation changes quickly
Change was in the air even before the Justice Department laid eyes on Apple. Back in November, the company announced it was bringing RCS to the iPhone, finally bridging the gap between the platforms. If Google is to be believed, RCS support is expected to launch this fall, likely as part of iOS 18.
Once Apple supports RCS, messaging to an Android device won’t feel much different than messaging to an iPhone. Admittedly, starting a FaceTime call isn’t that easy (though there are workarounds for Android users to use FaceTime). However, you can send high-quality photos and videos, create group chats, and more. At worst, you can trust that your messages are protected by the same end-to-end encryption you’ve come to expect from iMessage. (SMS is highly insecure.)
By the time the courts hear this case, the Justice Department’s claims about a green bubble may be largely meaningless. And that’s good for all of us. You could still blame Apple for restricting third-party messaging apps on iOS, not to mention the rest of the charges in the 88-page lawsuit, but Apple is purposely bringing text messaging to Android. I can’t say that. The experience will be much worse and less secure. I have high hopes that Apple will continue to make it as clear as possible when they’re messaging non-iPhone users (the green bubble will likely remain), but as long as RCS works properly. I don’t think that will happen. It’s going to be a big deal.
My greater hope is that these changes will also reduce the stigma associated with being a “green bubble” user. You might think that if texting became more or less the same whether you’re using iMessage or RCS, people might just drop it all together. but, many There are many people who have negative prejudices against green bubbles, which may not change anytime soon.
If people do not adjust their views when RCS appears on the scene, the Department of Justice could still litigate in this regard. However, hopefully the rest of us, and new users who are just starting to message for the first time, won’t care about the color of the message bubble as long as it works.
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