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Other Green bubbles... Come on now (if you are in the US).

I must say that it never really occurred to me to wonder why (still less, be bothered about) how and why text bubbles (now that one mentions it) came and come in two colours.

However, since I initially tripped over this thread (Green Bubbles, Blue Bubbles, how could one resist taking a peek?), I must say that I did make a point of tracking down and reading the article linked by the OP (the extraordinary, frivolous and occasionally fatuous one that attempts to argue that "women prefer blue bubbles").

My takeaway from that is that I am on team flip phone (yes, they were also referenced in that piece).

Anyway, I love flip phones, - and have always loved them (whereas smartphones leave me cold) and still lament and deeply regret their sad demise.
 
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maflynn said:
I'm solidly behind Apply in not supporting RCS. I see no real upsides and only downsides. This only benefits Google, and why help a competitor.
Click to expand...

No real upsides...you know...except for the fact Android users would then be able to send high quality images and videos no longer compressed from SMS, RCS is a lot more secure than SMS since it's encrypted, RCS allows for better group messaging. It addresses all the green bubble problems, which is why Apple's refusing to use it since then their iMessage tactic of keeping people locked in or to get people to switch goes away.


There's lots of benefits to adopting RCS. Apple just simply chooses not to since why make messaging with Android users better when they can just dangle the iMessage carrot and make the experience worse to say "hey you want better communications, buy iPhones and pressure others to do the same."

www.theverge.com

Tim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubbles

Apple’s CEO isn’t feeling pressure to change iMessage
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
 
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Spaceboi Scaphandre said:
No real upsides...you know...except for the fact Android users would then be able to send high quality images and videos no longer compressed from SMS, RCS is a lot more secure than SMS since it's encrypted, RCS allows for better group messaging. It addresses all the green bubble problems, which is why Apple's refusing to use it since then their iMessage tactic of keeping people locked in or to get people to switch goes away.


There's lots of benefits to adopting RCS. Apple just simply chooses not to since why make messaging with Android users better when they can just dangle the iMessage carrot and make the experience worse to say "hey you want better communications, buy iPhones and pressure others to do the same."

www.theverge.com

Tim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubbles

Apple’s CEO isn’t feeling pressure to change iMessage
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
Click to expand...
A particular point that is interesting to me as well is this. Some people use iPhones and iCloud but either switch iMessage off or never login to use it. Every message they send is SMS.

I'm no iMessage fanatic, but I do find that curious. Buying your mom an iPhone will never end green bubbles unless Apple goes scorched earth and forces every iPhone user to use only iMessage.
 
TSE said:
Exactly proves my point. Why do I need to have a compromised communication experience in the US just because of someone else's device choice? I don't need to and I refuse to.
Click to expand...
So, you would like to monopolize the phone market just so you get blue bubbles? How would that benefit you and all of us customers, exactly?

If anyone is limiting iMessage, is Apple, no one else.
 
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I got WhatsApp, coz some of my friends requested me to use it. I have notifications disabled, most of the crap is useless junk. I may open it once every few weeks. Told my friends to text me, or call if it’s important. I am not baby sitting what’s with managing notifications.
 
MrAperture said:
I have one group chat that we’re forced to use WhatsApp and another group chat where we have to use Telegram.

All because one of the group chat members refuses to use an iPhone.

It’s really annoying with group text messaging without the use of one of those apps otherwise.

I wish we could just use iMessage.
Click to expand...
That’s actually unfair. All the group members need to adjust because of one person is being selfish. You should just tell him to get iPhone. Give him deadline and after that move to chat to iMessage.
 
TechnoMonk said:
That’s a big red flag for me. I don’t trust google when it comes to privacy or encryption.
Click to expand...

And you trust Apple? Apple can't be trusted either. They lock out others from tracking you while they continue to track you for targeted app store ads. It's right there in the EULA


Don't get me wrong, the Apple Ecosystem is certainly a lot better in terms of privacy than Meta and Google, but they ain't saints. You're just trading one Big Tech conglomerate selling data about you to advertisers for another.
 
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Spaceboi Scaphandre said:
RCS is an open standard. It was developed by the GSMA, the same association behind SMS. The only part Google had a hand in was the end to end encryption.
Click to expand...
The trouble is that despite being an open standard, the fragmentation is painful and the rollout has been a bit of a joke. Google has a hand in this because they want to force *their* implementation of RCS by pushing phone OEMs and carriers to adopt Google Messages. They also have a history of doing this exact thing with other open standards and then killing it and moving on to something else.

They took Microsoft's place as kings of embrace, extend, extinguish.
 
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TechnoMonk said:
That’s a big red flag for me. I don’t trust google when it comes to privacy or encryption.
Click to expand...
I don't trust Apple either. Perhaps they are better than Google, maybe…

My sister asked me via iMessage yesterday for my SSN, my wife's SSN and the SSN of my son (19) and my daughter (15). I trust my sister, she wanted those so she could designate beneficiaries on life insurance plans, etc.

I don't trust Apple. I gave her 10 minutes and deleted my reply.

Two of those SSNs are virgin and probably valuable to someone out there.

If Apple is so great at security that other people are fine with posting their SSNs, CC#s and bank account numbers on iMessage and leaving it there for eternity, then they can go right ahead and keep doing that. For myself, I'm not leaving that stuff out there.
 
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Spaceboi Scaphandre said:
The only part Google had a hand in was the end to end encryption.
Click to expand...
No matter how you slice it, its in Google's interest to use this and not Apple's. As for the end to end encryption, I trust google as far as I can throw them, so I'm going to avoid them when it comes to encryption.
 
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This is the shining pinnacle of first world problems.

dnis said:
As am I. If you didn't know, WhatsApp is using the same encryption protocol as Signal and was implemented by Open Whisper Systems/Signal Foundation in partnership. https://signal.org/blog/whatsapp/

I still won't use WhatsApp, though.
Click to expand...
Yes, but it’s owned my Meta, so it’s worthless hot garbage compared to Signal in terms of privacy. Just look at the difference between the two apps in the “Data Linked To You” sections.
 
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eyoungren said:
I don't trust Apple either. Perhaps they are better than Google, maybe…

My sister asked me via iMessage yesterday for my SSN, my wife's SSN and the SSN of my son (19) and my daughter (15). I trust my sister, she wanted those so she could designate beneficiaries on life insurance plans, etc.

I don't trust Apple. I gave her 10 minutes and deleted my reply.

Two of those SSNs are virgin and probably valuable to someone out there.

If Apple is so great at security that other people are fine with posting their SSNs, CC#s and bank account numbers on iMessage and leaving it there for eternity, then they can go right ahead and keep doing that. For myself, I'm not leaving that stuff out there.
Click to expand...
Don’t use Apple if you don’t trust them. I don’t use google maps or search. I never text SSN or any confidential information. It goes in an encrypted password protected file in secured email. And ofcourse file and email has to be deleted. It’s careless to text SSN, I don’t care what device, what encryption is used.
 
I’m baffled by some of the responses in this thread and I just don’t understand. Does the color green somehow trigger people? Or, how does the bubble color detract from the texting/communication experience? I can say I can’t ever remember looking at anything in life that was green and felt anxiety because of the color. I have a feeling there is another issue at play here.

Half the people I text with use Android and honestly I barely even notice that it’s not blue unless someone where to point it out. It’s such a non issue.
 
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ab2c4 said:
I’m baffled by some of the responses in this thread and I just don’t understand. Does the color green somehow trigger people? Or, how does the bubble color detract from the texting/communication experience? I can say I can’t ever remember looking at anything in life that was green and felt anxiety because of the color. I have a feeling there is another issue at play here.

Half the people I text with use Android and honestly I barely even notice that it’s not blue unless someone where to point it out. It’s such a non issue.
Click to expand...
The only thing that "sucks" about green bubbles is I know I can't send full quality video or images to that person because of the limitations of SMS, which is why if a friend or family member uses Android, I try and get them to use something different, like Telegram. Other than that, I really couldn't care less but phone people have.
 
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Well, since picture memes are frowned upon, I'll just say, in the immortal words of George Takei:

"Oh my…"

OP, seriously?

The world is going to hell in a handbasket (in case you haven't noticed) but we should be worrying about green or blue text bubbles?

Even for a supposed tech website this is a pathetic thing to be concerned about.

SMFH.
 
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iJest said:
The only thing that "sucks" about green bubbles is I know I can't send full quality video or images to that person because of the limitations of SMS, which is why if a friend or family member uses Android, I try and get them to use something different, like Telegram. Other than that, I really couldn't care less but phone people have.
Click to expand...
When family members that use Android and I text each other pictures they all come through just fine on either end. The only thing that doesn’t are videos.
 
It's irritating when I get both blue and green bubbles from the same person, depending on their or my signal strength, I suppose.
 
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