Apple’s iMessage has a long history of separating users into “blue” and “green” bubbles based on whether they’re on an iPhone or an Android phone. But the question now goes way beyond looking cool in our group chats.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an article detailing how the difference between green and blue chat bubbles can create social stress among teens and young adults. The blue-and-green bubble debate highlights a broader problem across the industry: There is no single modern texting standard that works on all phones.
Google has been supporting the messaging platform, which has iMessage-like features, by working with carriers to make it the default option on most Android phones. This is a step forward in making messaging more unified across the wide range of Android devices out there.
As one of the biggest players in the phone industry, Apple could certainly do more to help build a more consistent texting experience across devices. Apple has often touted its control of iOS as a selling point for consumers, and the move away from iMessage could jeopardize that.
Apple hasn’t responded to CNET’s request for comment, and Google pointed us to some tweets from its Android senior vice president, Hiroshi Lockheimer, in which he criticized Apple for using “pressure and bullying” to target users. However, Apple could make some changes to fix this, similar to how it brought a limited FaceTime experience to Android and Windows users in iOS 15.
Support RCS in Apple’s Messages app, even a little
Starting with the most obvious, it might be time for Apple to consider supporting RCS in iOS 16. In addition to the fact that RCS includes many iMessage-like features, Apple does have a history of adopting an open format.
Apple doesn’t even have to fully endorse RCS to make a difference. It keeps non-iPhone messages green and relies on an iPhone-exclusive feature that uses the iPhone’s Face ID to create facial animations to appeal to Apple loyalists. But supporting some key features will go a long way towards enabling a smoother communication experience while maintaining a level of Apple exclusivity.
It could also allow encryption between messages regardless of platform, especially since Apple has been a public defender of user privacy. Some would argue that this alone should get companies to embrace RCS.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Apple battery