Green bubble means limited features, and accordance with the 1990s SMS standard (who knows if anything over 160 characters will be split up, etc).
US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
191–200 of 251 posts
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nobody was going to switch to an entirely different mode of communication just for my sake Please elaborate. No iPhone user has to switch from the "iMessage" app to the "SMS" app to reach an Android user or include an Android user in a group chat. While it does indeed involve a different mode of communication, it's all handled seamlessly in the background from the same app. In fact, if it wasn't for the coloring, t…
> In fact, if it wasn't for the coloring, they wouldn't even have noticed, except if you exchanged other data than pure text, but I can't imagine this being a real deal-breaker for planning? People very frequently exchange data other than pure text when event planning: GIFs, map pins, tapbacks to express [dis]agreement, etc.
Seems to work fine. I get gifs and "likes" off messages all the time.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nobody was going to switch to an entirely different mode of communication just for my sake Please elaborate. No iPhone user has to switch from the "iMessage" app to the "SMS" app to reach an Android user or include an Android user in a group chat. While it does indeed involve a different mode of communication, it's all handled seamlessly in the background from the same app. In fact, if it wasn't for the coloring, t…
> In fact, if it wasn't for the coloring, they wouldn't even have noticed, except if you exchanged other data than pure text, but I can't imagine this being a real deal-breaker for planning? People very frequently exchange data other than pure text when event planning: GIFs, map pins, tapbacks to express [dis]agreement, etc.
I get gifs and likes just fine on my Android from iMessage groups I am in. I can't tell anything is missing.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
Read the article; the whole problem is Apple distinguishing between Android and Apple users.
Absolutely, but Whatsapp it isn't distinguishing any less between Whatsapp users and non-Whatsapp users. Messages doesn't entirely cut you off from people who don't bring money to Apple, and it doesn't require another app to communicate with them. It will handle and integrate it all in the same interface with iMessage, seamlessly switching in the background to make that possible. Whatsapp, OTOH, plainly refuses to le…
Whatsapp is free to download and works on cheap phones. Most of my friends do not have an iphone.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think its on purpose. Associate an unpleasant color with Android so if you ever switch from iPhone to Android you know you will show up as the same unpleasant green on their phones.
It’s not Android, it’s SMS. Text an iPhone user who isn’t signed into iCloud, it uses SMS, and is green.
Does that... ever happen? As a casual iPhone user, I don't remember ever signing into or out of iCloud for anything. I assume I'm probably signed in at all times?
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#196I switched to iOS (via a used iPhone on a BYOD plan) primarily for iMessage. I was tired of being the odd man out, missing out on things that were being planned via group messages, etc. Nobody was going to switch to an entirely different mode of communication just for my sake, so the existence of theoretical alternatives doesn't really matter. (And I do try to use Facebook Messenger for group chats, so as not to lock…
> RCS is garbage. The _only_ universal _carrier_ solution for messaging is SMS. What does iMessage do to get to all cell phone users? That is the only thing that matters here. full stop. I have many relatives that wanted me to "install" Whatsapp. I refuse. So whatsapp is the failure here? Or is it me because I refuse? What is garbage is OOT. Google is not the failure. Hell, the problem is right in the title of the OP…
> What does iMessage do to get to all cell phone users?
SMS fallback. iMessage is the default SMS app. You send a message to a phone number. That’s it, you’re already using it. If they have an iPhone too you get extra features.
From an onboarding and UX perspective it’s genius/obvious.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#197Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, but group chat over SMS is crap. Lots of Android phones as well don’t operate group SMS well, you get reduced resolution in photos and videos, can’t like/heart messages in the same way, no typing indicators, etc etc. Losing iMessage features sucks when you’re otherwise used to it.
That's subjective, but your observations are valid in many scenarios. The point I want to make is that Messages is not preventing them from including Android users because they don't have an iPhone, which is a general misunderstanding that I often observe when talking with Android users who use Whatsapp or similar and is also recurring here. If the Android user gets locked out, it's because a human decided to, not be…
> Try finding a recent hit movie/TV series or music video, produced in the US, that shows green bubbles
I imagine they get paid for using blue bubbles, just like other product placements.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#198I opened Message on my Mac the other day to type a message to a friend. It switched to green and was not successful. WTH? Grabbed phone and asked him. Oh I moved to an Android. Painful. The fact that I have to use the phone to text him bugs me to no end.
My current group of core friends are storing a party tomorrow and it is simple as it is all the blue text and I can read the messages on everything I own. Having to revert to SMS would be painful.
The funny thing is a few years ago we would all use Google Talk...yah.
Looking at my “chat” folder on my iPad, phone etc, I have Google hangouts (work and gmail friends), LINE (Japan, Korea, Singapore), Meet (google for work meetings), Discord for gaming, and Webex (work for customers that do not use Google for email). It is painful.
I did drop IRC a few years ago..
Only if XMPP had really won...oh well.
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
IMHO the bigger problem with group chat over SMS is that some networks (looking at you AT&T) limit the number of participants in a group SMS chat to ten. If you try to send a message to more than ten people it sends it ten of them, silently ignoring the rest, leading to weird fractured SMS group chats.
you are right about the limit of ten. but it may be part of the sms specification itself. at least that’s what i remember from looking it up a couple years ago.
Nothing stops the phone from sending multiple sms, its the implementations fault
Re: US Gen Z and the iMessage Lock-In
#200I switched to iOS (via a used iPhone on a BYOD plan) primarily for iMessage. I was tired of being the odd man out, missing out on things that were being planned via group messages, etc. Nobody was going to switch to an entirely different mode of communication just for my sake, so the existence of theoretical alternatives doesn't really matter. (And I do try to use Facebook Messenger for group chats, so as not to lock…
I can't imagine RCS getting the momentum to become a real viable platform. Even if it's integrated into Android phones and seamless from the users perspective the major carriers have no interest in putting forth the effort or making it a real thing. I suspect it will be a nice to have feature like "HD Calling" where calls have increased quality. With Google lacking any real leadership in the Android division(See Wear…
Google is moving forward without carrier buy-in: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/17/18681573/google-rcs-chat-...