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

[applepotato666]

I'm against Apple in most of their monopolist ideologies, their actions on right to repair etc., but with iMessage I don't see the problem.

Apple deciding to couple in iMessage into the Messages app is a great UX choice that has us confused it's an advancement to SMS like RCS is, but the truth is that the underlying iMessage platform is much more similar to that of the other, closed and proprietary, apps. RCS is carrier bill dependent and is intended to replace SMS/MMS. Afaik, iMessage has no relation to whether you're paying your phone bill or not as long as you are connected to the internet.

And then, what's in it for Apple if they made iMessage available on other platforms? Having to rework the platform, opening themselves up for more potential spam, higher server load and energy costs from more users? The cherry on top is getting more support calls when something goes wrong to their free of charge phone lines. With those calls they'd already be losing money on, they'd find themselves also having to provide support for countless other devices they don't make or understand, which are running another OS they don't have control over.
I can't imagine them giving that away for free. And since it wouldn't be free, they'll build it for nobody to use - why pay for messaging?

I'd love for Apple to just be good and grateful for their position, doing generous stuff like this from time to time, but doing this would be a long-term commitment to supporting non-paying customers and that's a bad business decision.

If they decide to build RCS in, great, but carriers could decide to charge for it just like with SMS (I'm pretty sure they want to in the EU, we never had the "free unlimited SMS" thing).

 

[SpotOnT]

As noted above What’sApp is pretty much the default messaging app in the UK, why isn’t it more popular in the USA?

There is a growing Facebook backlash. I, and many of my friends avoid Facebook and Facebook products.

Signal, Telegram, etc. tend to be alternatives for us.

 

[mdnz]

This post was brought to you by the AAPL gang.

 

[SpotOnT]

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.

Your anger should be aimed at Apple for not providing you a good communication experience with Android users. Aiming your anger at people who choose to not buy an iPhone, when Apple could literally fix this with a flip of the switch is ridiculous and ethically questionable.

 

[SpotOnT]

Be sure to inform any new person you meet, any bosses you will have in the future and/or anyone in the future that will be important to your life that they must have an iPhone or you will not truck with them.

Good luck!

I have never seen a company in the US provide anything but iPhones to employees. An iPhone and a Windows based PC is what you get. I mean I am sure if you work for Samsung they probably aren’t giving you an iPhone, but in general, no employers use Android for their business.

My guess is Apples significantly extended software support period compared to Android makes it the better company investment.

 

[SpotOnT]

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.

This has been discussed a lot. Group chats over SMS/MMS with users across multiple carriers is a bit of joke. Messages arrive out of order, sometimes days late. Various reply and interactive features are missing. Media gets sent at reduced quality.

The whole experience sucks.

The actual colour of the bubbles is irrelevant (unless you have some kind of problem with the colour green, in which case you probably should be seeking out professional help for your medical condition.)

 

[SpotOnT]

True.
In a perfect world, however, said service should be 3rd party - and a trusted one this should be. Open Source it should be, ideally decentralized.
Neither Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, X/Twitter, you name it, should be involved, at all.

I know. Just dreaming

Lots of people use Signal….

You and your friends can too…

 

[SpotOnT]

Do Americans pay for every sent text?

Almost everyone gets unlimited free SMS/MMS texting and calling within the US/Canada.

The exception is if you are on some weird budget pre-paid plan that isn’t one of the major carriers.

 

[cthompson94]

I love iMessage and hate antiquated SMS. That said, doesn’t anyone like Skype? I keep Skype on my phone in case some android/pc-using contact wants to connect over IM and/or video/voice call. (I won’t install WhatsApp; I don’t allow meta apps on my phone.)

I think in the past a lot of people had Skype especially after it kind of took over the AIM messenger fanbase. Skype though is pretty much dead for the most part, Microsoft bought it and is replacing it with Microsoft Teams. I would say the Skype equivalent nowadays is probably discord. It also is kind of split now too though..Discord is more for your personal (for the most part) conversations and many businesses use Microsoft Teams especially since it is bundled with the enterprise level of Microsoft services.

 

[madebybela]

This is a troll thread right? I refuse to believe this many people are that shallow.

Personally though I've never used iMessage as my main app, I talk to people across Discord/Messenger/Telegram/IRC. Get a grip, I remember the days when we were all green bubbles.

 

[bransoj]

We have this sort of thread every now and then and the same sort of claims are made about folk in certain countries only using certain apps which are then never backed up. Its all a bit silly.

For what its worth....i'm in the UK and have no issue with green messages, barely use Whatsapp or any other apps for messaging mainly down to the majority of my family and friends all being iPhone users. Most of them dont use Whatsapp that much either. If they have to message anyone who isnt on an iPhone they will just message them normally. The only situation that another app will come into it is for group messages, i have a couple of sports club related ones which are a mix of users so its on whatsapp.

 

[scorpio vega]

I met a woman at work when I was 24. I've always been in to computers and tech stuff, but here's this woman telling me that she once thought computers were a fad and that she'd never give up her typewriter. She kind of spit out the last bit too, making sure I knew what her disdain for tech was.

29 years later, we've been married for 25+ years and have a 19 year old son in his third year for IT and a 10th grade daughter who loves art and is bonded to her iPhone SE2.

So, I mean, whatever your preference is…

That’s actually an amazing story.
I just like the ease of use with iOS. Our cell network was down recently and just simply being able to text or FaceTime without any needed hurdles or apps.

Or when I was in a sketchy Uber and my partner was able to track my location.

I am far less superficial these days lol

 

[TSE]

This has been discussed a lot. Group chats over SMS/MMS with users across multiple carriers is a bit of joke. Messages arrive out of order, sometimes days late. Various reply and interactive features are missing. Media gets sent at reduced quality.

The whole experience sucks.

The actual colour of the bubbles is irrelevant (unless you have some kind of problem with the colour green, in which case you probably should be seeking out professional help for your medical condition.)

Exactly this. People mocking me and many others in this thread for saying we are too immature to accept a different color bubble are trite. It's not the color, it's the experience. I hope we are intelligent enough to know that and understand where most of us come from.

 

[JCCL]

Exactly this. People mocking me and many others in this thread for saying we are too immature to accept a different color bubble are trite. It's not the color, it's the experience. I hope we are intelligent enough to know that and understand where most of us come from.

There are many apps that allow this, YOU're choosing to stick to iMessage, and Apple is choosing to limit iMessage to their devices. Seems that's where the problem lies, instead of having a "mind-blowing idea" that other users should use YOUR platform of choice instead of their choice of devices.

By the way, can't believe this thread got over 190 replies

 

[eyoungren]

But you trust Apple that they don’t keep a copy of that deleted reply?

Nope…that worries me too.

 

[eyoungren]

I have never seen a company in the US provide anything but iPhones to employees. An iPhone and a Windows based PC is what you get. I mean I am sure if you work for Samsung they probably aren’t giving you an iPhone, but in general, no employers use Android for their business.

My guess is Apples significantly extended software support period compared to Android makes it the better company investment.

I worked for a large company (Gannett) at the beginning of my career. About a year at one of their newspapers. As a new Ad Compositor (creating and editing newspaper ads) in 1999, the company had no reason to issue me anything other than the computer at my publicly shared desk.

Since 2000 every company I've ever worked for has had around a maximum of 20 employees total. You aren't being issued phones or tablets for companies that small.

I have no way to know if you are right as this has never been anything I've experienced myself.

 

[eyoungren]

That’s actually an amazing story.
I just like the ease of use with iOS. Our cell network was down recently and just simply being able to text or FaceTime without any needed hurdles or apps.

Or when I was in a sketchy Uber and my partner was able to track my location.

I am far less superficial these days lol

I work from home with a company issued MBP. Sometimes the internet will go out (not often), but it's nice to be able to tether easily to my iPad.

 

[thefourthpope]

That's a great phone, though. It is frustrating, but you have to have a phone number to use SMS. That's actually the frustrating thing about SMS, not iMessage. If all her friends had iPhones then it wouldn't matter.

Appreciate the explanation. Yes it’s a great phone and of course she’s thrilled with it, and it worked out so we just passed the iPod touch on to younger brother…especially considering Apple killed off the touch I guess on balance I’m happy with the result.

it took a while to reach that stage though 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[ab2c4]

I have never seen a company in the US provide anything but iPhones to employees. An iPhone and a Windows based PC is what you get. I mean I am sure if you work for Samsung they probably aren’t giving you an iPhone, but in general, no employers use Android for their business.

My guess is Apples significantly extended software support period compared to Android makes it the better company investment.

I currently work for a small financial institution in the US. My current employer issues Samsung phones from what I have seen. My previous job, a bank, let employees pick their phone and they were pretty much split between iPhone and Android. The company before that was a fairly large manufacturing company in which we had about 400 company provided phones and they let the employees pick what they wanted also (iPhone/android).

All of these companies used Windows computers only if that matters.

 

[SpotOnT]

I currently work for a small financial institution in the US. My current employer issues Samsung phones from what I have seen. My previous job, a bank, let employees pick their phone and they were pretty much split between iPhone and Android. The company before that was a fairly large manufacturing company in which we had about 400 company provided phones and they let the employees pick what they wanted also (iPhone/android).

All of these companies used Windows computers only if that matters.

Wow, I am really surprised to hear some companies give you a choice. Seems like the IT support work would just not be worth it. Not to mention having to deal with compatibility issues, app availability, etc across different platforms in the workplace.

Very surprising.

 

[erikkfi]

I hate green bubbles, too, and I put the blame for them exactly where it belongs: Apple.

They look especially bad because they intentionally use an accessibility-unfriendly contrast ratio for the green bubbles that they don't use for the blue bubbles, subtly degrading the readability and user experience to influence people to find the green bubbles unappealing and leaving vision-impaired customers who don't know about accessibility options in the cold. Intentionally, I say again.

Take a look for yourself:

Note, too, that the green bubbles fail accessibility standards (this goes without saying but the blue ones don't):

They even fail for large text!

Finally, this is what they would look like if the contrast ratios were equal by default:

These green bubbles are a user-hostile choice on the part of Apple.

 

[ab2c4]

I hate green bubbles, too, and I put the blame for them exactly where it belongs: Apple.

They look especially bad because they intentionally use an accessibility-unfriendly contrast ratio for the green bubbles that they don't use for the blue bubbles, subtly degrading the readability and user experience to influence people to find the green bubbles unappealing and leaving vision-impaired customers who don't know about accessibility options in the cold. Intentionally, I say again.

Take a look for yourself:

View attachment 2240597

Note, too, that the green bubbles fail accessibility standards (this goes without saying but the blue ones don't):

View attachment 2240598

They even fail for large text!

Finally, this is what they would look like if the contrast ratios were equal by default:

View attachment 2240599

These green bubbles are a user-hostile choice on the part of Apple.

Now that is extremely interesting and not at all surprising sadly enough.

Hearing stuff like this makes me want to take my money elsewhere. I don’t like dirty business like this….. if this is really true of course.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I don't give a crap. I have an iphone, and my girlfriend has an android.

Whatever.

 

[Romain_H]

Lots of people use Signal….

You and your friends can too…

Sure, I'm well aware.

Unfortunately, people tend to flock wherever the majority of their peers seem to be. Over here in Central Europe, its Whatsapp.

I tried to educate them to switch to Signal. Only very few - incidentally, the more tech savvy - did, the vast majority, though, ignored me.

Therefore I eventually gave in, using iMessage for communicating with the Apple folk and using Whatsapp for the rest.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I'd sell a kidney to get a Dex-like feature on an iPhone Pro

It baffles me we don't have something like that for iPadOS. Stage Manager is so bad. I want traffic light buttons on iPad app windows.