Count me amongst those who find this absolutely hilarious. Bullying? Because they use a color to distinguish iMessages from texts? ROTFL.
NBC News (streaming version) just did a piece on it and how (mostly young) people feel self-conscious about sending green texts while iPhone users find them obnoxious:
"Ewww! Green Text! Yuck! That's creepy!"
With iPhones having a 70% marketshare among American youth, sending a green text labels the person as an outsider and different -- which is toxic to a teenager.
Based on that, it sounds like this is more about Google sticking up for their (few remaining) teenage Android users than anything technical or about the company itself. They don't want their customers to feel ostracized. Good for them -- sticking up for their customers. (But it's still hilarious!)
It's all a bit stupid. iMessage/Messages used the colour scheming to identify those who used iMessage and those who didn't (for whom the fallback were potentially costly SMS messages to people using Apple's app. .
Perhaps that decision could be frowned on today, now that social media is so prevalent among the wider public, and Messages could be required to only show users that are on the network. Just like Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram...
The problem for Apple is that that could lead some users away from Messages.
It's not bullying IMO, but I can see a problem (with easy solutions).
NBC News reported that a former Apple employee said that blue was used during the initial development of iMsgs so that they could tell one from the other -- and it just stuck around and made its way into production. But initially there was no intent to distinguish iMsgs from others -- that is was simply a development tool.
Things must be hard if Google are resorting to extreme mental gymnastics to convince Apple to port iMessage to Android. Here's an idea for Google - they have a bunch of exclusive stuff too, why not offer some of that in return? Perhaps they could show some good-will for once instead of trying to use social media PR to change the agenda of another company.
Perhaps Apple's unwillingness to share the love is because Google have utilised every one of their platforms to batter at iOS? There is no limit to Google's pettiness, even going so far as holding back turn-by-turn navigation in the old Maps app for no other reason than the lolz. Perhaps in this spirit Google could share positional/location data of all businesses on Google Maps - that would be fairer for small business and mom-n-pop stores too.
Edit: Just on the topic of Youtube - everyone should check out the Vinegar extension for Safari. It returns PIP mode to Youtube, cuts out the ads and lets you continue listening after leaving the tab or sleeping the phone. (Plus it's one app for both iOS and Mac.)
You started off with a false premise, that Google wants iMessage to come to Android. They do not. Android doesn't need it. This is about making messaging more secure overall by eliminating SMS as much as possible for the privacy respecting E2EE Google RCS. When Apple finally gives in and dumps SMS as their backup messaging protocol we will all benefit.
Does no one remember when text messages were an extra part of owning a cell phone and they were either $20 extra per month for unlimited or $0.25 each (and other expensive plans)?
The blue bubble told Apple iPhone users that sending a message to a green texter cost them MONEY. Getting a message also cost MONEY. Blue messages used internet data and not "the text network".
Now, with texting included (and plan prices all increased), it became a way to telling the iPhone owners that the receiver won't be seeing the special effects, tapback thumbs up and responses the same way (if one was even aware).
I'm surprised google didn't invent it's own service.
I think the term "bullying" has been degraded beyond its intended purpose. It's called "competition", Google. Google it. Apple had iMessage built and in blue while you were still twidling your thumbs building a Treo replacement. It's not their fault you went through three beta versions of an iMessage killer and never succeeded.
Tim Cook should channel Elon Musk by sending Hiroshi Lockheimer a complimentary iPhone.
(It must really bother Google VPs to be dictated to by Google to carry Androids. Probably feels like being bullied.)
FWIW Google does not want iMessage on Android. What this is about is replacing SMS with the far more secure and private RCS. IMO i's an odd stance for Apple to cling to an old insecure messaging protocol like SMS when iMessage is unavailable.for an iPhone owner. Seems to me it's sacrificing Apple user security for the sake of competition, unless you can think of some other reason Apple steadfastly insists on leaky SMS rather than E2EE Google RCS. Getting both platforms to adopt it would put the nail in the coffin for carrier-monitoring SMS.
BTW, where have you read that Google employees can't use iPhones at work? Everything I read says it's up to the Googler what to use.
Thanks for the unneeded explanation; I fully understood what Google wants of Apple.
The BIGGEST difference (and arguably the most important), between the blue and green bubbles… is that it shows which messages are end to end encrypted and which are not. All blue bubbles are encrypted. Green are not.
From what I've read, RCS may or may not be end-to-end encrypted (Google Messages app has it, but other apps may or may not support it), while iMessage is always encrypted. It seems like RCS (Rich Communication Suite) is more about content than security. So just saying you support RCS does not imply encryption. Perhaps this ambiguity on encryption is why Apple don't support RCS.
No iMessage is exclusive to Apple devices only (Mac and iOS). I don't really see anything wrong with that. If Apple or any other manufacturer wants to have its own platform then so be it. It's not like Apple makes it so you can ONLY message other Apple devices. If Apple did this then I think there would be more of an issue but just because Apple's iMessage platform is widely successful doesn't mean they need to allow others to use it or even start supporting other platforms.
Count me amongst those who find this absolutely hilarious. Bullying? Because they use a color to distinguish iMessages from texts? ROTFL.
NBC News (streaming version) just did a piece on it and how (mostly young) people feel self-conscious about sending green texts while iPhone users find them obnoxious:
"Ewww! Green Text! Yuck! That's creepy!"
None of this is evidence of Apple doing the bullying. It's all on the end users doing it. This is no different than poking fun at the kid with cheap sneakers. Perhaps Hiroshi Lockheimer has a pair of Bronax jogging sneakers.
No iMessage is exclusive to Apple devices only (Mac and iOS). I don't really see anything wrong with that. If Apple or any other manufacturer wants to have its own platform then so be it. It's not like Apple makes it so you can ONLY message other Apple devices. If Apple did this then I think there would be more of an issue but just because Apple's iMessage platform is widely successful doesn't mean they need to allow others to use it or even start supporting other platforms.
I am confused. How does this green text come from?
Count me amongst those who find this absolutely hilarious. Bullying? Because they use a color to distinguish iMessages from texts? ROTFL.
NBC News (streaming version) just did a piece on it and how (mostly young) people feel self-conscious about sending green texts while iPhone users find them obnoxious:
"Ewww! Green Text! Yuck! That's creepy!"
None of this is evidence of Apple doing the bullying. It's all on the end users doing it. This is no different than poking fun at the kid with cheap sneakers. Perhaps Hiroshi Lockheimer has a pair of Bronax jogging sneakers.
That's true. But then neither I nor NBC accused Apple of anything. They simply pointed out (and I reported) that Google users felt discriminated against for being green.
Count me amongst those who find this absolutely hilarious. Bullying? Because they use a color to distinguish iMessages from texts? ROTFL.
NBC News (streaming version) just did a piece on it and how (mostly young) people feel self-conscious about sending green texts while iPhone users find them obnoxious:
"Ewww! Green Text! Yuck! That's creepy!"
None of this is evidence of Apple doing the bullying. It's all on the end users doing it. This is no different than poking fun at the kid with cheap sneakers. Perhaps Hiroshi Lockheimer has a pair of Bronax jogging sneakers.
That's true. But then neither I nor NBC accused Apple of anything. They simply pointed out (and I reported) that Google users felt discriminated against for being green.
"Ewww! Green Text! Yuck! That's creepy!"
The truth is most people buying Androids because the lower price.
No iMessage is exclusive to Apple devices only (Mac and iOS). I don't really see anything wrong with that. If Apple or any other manufacturer wants to have its own platform then so be it. It's not like Apple makes it so you can ONLY message other Apple devices. If Apple did this then I think there would be more of an issue but just because Apple's iMessage platform is widely successful doesn't mean they need to allow others to use it or even start supporting other platforms.
I am confused. How does this green text come from?
According to NBC, an ex-Apple employee said that they used blue while developing iMsg simply as a tool so they knew which was an iMsg and which was not -- then it never got removed. There were no nefarious plots going on.
No iMessage is exclusive to Apple devices only (Mac and iOS). I don't really see anything wrong with that. If Apple or any other manufacturer wants to have its own platform then so be it. It's not like Apple makes it so you can ONLY message other Apple devices. If Apple did this then I think there would be more of an issue but just because Apple's iMessage platform is widely successful doesn't mean they need to allow others to use it or even start supporting other platforms.
I am confused. How does this green text come from?
According to NBC, an ex-Apple employee said that they used blue while developing iMsg simply as a tool so they knew which was an iMsg and which was not -- then it never got removed. There were no nefarious plots going on.
I am asking because macexpress said the iMessage app is not available on Androids.
When Apple finally gives in and dumps SMS as their backup messaging protocol we will all benefit.
I agree. However, I don't think it's so much a matter of "Apple giving in" as much as it is a matter of waiting until RCS has universal support from all carriers. I don't think Apple wants to have to try to figure out which "fall back" service to use. SMS/MMS provide the basic necessary functionality. Yes, it's missing many of the bells and whistles of iMessage and yes, RCS will help close that gap a bit. Still, RCS is hit or miss in terms of carriers support so it really doesn't make sense for Apple to make that the default backup service just yet.
Or… the green and blue are a smart way to tell that the green bubble doesn’t have all the features you do, so don’t expect to use all your iMessage magic on them because it won’t translate.
It’s just plain common sense.
Of course wimpy competitors will jump at the chance to mischaracterize.
Comments
NBC News reported that a former Apple employee said that blue was used during the initial development of iMsgs so that they could tell one from the other -- and it just stuck around and made its way into production. But initially there was no intent to distinguish iMsgs from others -- that is was simply a development tool.
The blue bubble told Apple iPhone users that sending a message to a green texter cost them MONEY. Getting a message also cost MONEY. Blue messages used internet data and not "the text network".
Now, with texting included (and plan prices all increased), it became a way to telling the iPhone owners that the receiver won't be seeing the special effects, tapback thumbs up and responses the same way (if one was even aware).
I'm surprised google didn't invent it's own service.
Pretty funny for them to whine and attempt to write the narrative as if they were somehow getting a raw deal.
Apple should adopt RCS. It would benefit iMessage users, but this whiny crap from Google sounds like Google has a five year old in charge of this.
According to NBC, an ex-Apple employee said that they used blue while developing iMsg simply as a tool so they knew which was an iMsg and which was not -- then it never got removed. There were no nefarious plots going on.