If you’re an iPhone user, admit it: When you get a text message and the bubble’s green instead of blue, you frown upon the sender a bit, don’t you? They own a Samsung or Google Pixel — and are not an Apple compatriot. Well, security and technical reasons exist for that bubble imbalance, and they go well beyond Apple v. Android.
Apple will make changes early next year to improve texting technology. Now it’s our turn to end “bubble-shaming,” says Brian X. Chen, lead consumer technology writer for The New York Times and author of the Tech Fix column.
While it’s laughable, bubble-shaming encapsulates problematic ways of thinking, Chen says. That includes creating an in-group and out-group dynamic among communities. iPhones dominate the American smartphone market, making up about 60% of users.
In certain social situations, such as schools, that grouping can lead to alienation or cyberbullying.
“A lot of kids in school, they're getting their first smartphones, and a lot of them are getting iPhones. But if you have an Android, then you're suddenly in that out-group that iPhone users, who are the blue bubbles, don't want .. ruining things like the group chats they're having over homework.”
He continues, “They're making plans to get together at the mall, right? And they don't want the Androids to ruin that bubble, so they leave them out of the conversation, which … can be pretty harmful to a kid's wellbeing and their ability to study. …. We laugh about these issues, but they can be more serious.”
The issue can come up in online dating too. Chen says, “You message each other inside the dating app, but when you decide you're going to meet in person, you move on to the text messaging app. And once that bubble turns green … people say that it's a red flag. … You can Google this, like there are essays that people have written: ‘Is this person cheap? Does this person have his stuff together?’ … It also stems from the stereotype that Android users don't have very much money. … The price ranges somewhere between $100 all the way up to $1,200. So plenty of people buy these really expensive Android phones, and therefore a phone is not a reflection of your income.”
Chen says some people will reject dates — or ghost people — due to green bubbles — which is elitist, judgmental, and could lead to the loss of potentially great connections.
So where did these two groups come from? Chen says historically, the defaulting texting standards were SMS and MMS, which sent low-resolution images. In response, Apple developed its own proprietary system — iMessage — which allowed for high-resolution photos and videos, as well as other features. Meanwhile, Google developed its own modern standard system called rich communication services (RCS) that’s used on Android devices.
Starting next year, Apple will adopt RCS alongside iMessage, which will still preserve green bubbles but enable better-looking images and videos when commuting with Android users. Some features will be missing, like Apple users being able to send animated texts, such as popping confetti for birthdays, to Android phones.
“There's going to continue to be a divide in terms of the technology. But the most important part for now are these images and videos — it's really what's ruining people's communication methods when it comes to cross-platform messaging. So that's going to be a significant step toward improving the situation.”