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“It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

android.com

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Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#201

Post by 015a »

etchalon wrote: post #140
blinkingled wrote: post #107

> iPhones make texts with Android phones difficult to read, by using white text on a bright green background. Wow. I can't really come up with anything creative to blame Google for this one. Whatever you want to say about Google's messaging mess and RCS - Apple seems to go out of their way to make it inconvenient to text with Android users. Also it doesn't sound like Google's asking Apple to give up iMessage - just t…

The Green is historical, not a specific decision by Apple to hinder reading texts. Before iOS 5, and the release of iMessage, all messages on iOS were green. That Google is painting this as something else speaks to how disingenuous this whole conversation has gotten, in all corners.

So, you're asserting that the color choice of the bubbles ten years ago was unintentional? That whatever developer coded it had no instruction, Jony Ive & Steve Jobs were silent, and they used a random number generator to pick the hex code?

And additionally, you're asserting that its impossible to change or improve? That its just such an intractable problem which we inherited, and changing it would be such a herculean effort that its not worth moving the needle on?

I've never seen the codebase for the iOS messages app. I believe, even acknowledging that, its probably an absolute mess of legacy code, and I have a ton of sympathy for the developers working on it. I also believe, even acknowledging that, that changing one color is something an intern could do (and because its a big tech product org, there'd be fifty user studies and three orgs of product managers involved and Tim Cook would get a say in it, but those are manufactured problems. Also, let's be clear; if Jobs were still alive & in control, even all those manufactured roadblocks would be torn down, if it were a change he cared to prioritize, because that's the kind of leader he was).

Inaction is Intentional. Inaction is Intentional. Inaction is Intentional.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#202

Post by NonNefarious »

blinkingled wrote: post #107

> iPhones make texts with Android phones difficult to read, by using white text on a bright green background. Wow. I can't really come up with anything creative to blame Google for this one. Whatever you want to say about Google's messaging mess and RCS - Apple seems to go out of their way to make it inconvenient to text with Android users. Also it doesn't sound like Google's asking Apple to give up iMessage - just t…

Apple commits many UI offenses, but the alleged illegibility of SMS messages is BS.

Not to mention that Apple's messaging is hideously broken in more ways than Android integration. iMessage will simply delete your phone number from its "can be reached at" list, which breaks years-long threads with a single (iPhone-using) friend into inexplicable new threads.

Ever go overseas? Try putting a local SIM into your USA phone somewhere else, and watch your phone "forget" all of your contacts. Seriously: WTF? Suddenly all of your contacts are unrecognized by number. It's idiotic.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#203

Post by gjs278 »

dcormier wrote: post #169
Angostura wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the most trivial complaint I've ever read. I'm in my 50s and I have zero problems reading green bubbles - it just means that it hasn't been sent via iMessage - if I send to an iPhone and sending falls back to SMS it looks just the same. I can't believe people get that upset about green v blue.

That’s very ableist of you. About 1 in 12 males are colorblind. I’m in this group. I find white text on a bright green background very difficult to read.

No post body was provided.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#204

Post by xmonkee »

hbn wrote: post #124
xnx wrote: post #54

I'm all for standards, but this is mainly sour grapes by Google. If they hadn't shot themselves in the foot dozens of times with messaging they could've dominated using the head start they had with Google Talk. Google should put all messages from iPhone users in comic sans.

They had a surefire strategy starting in 2013 when they added SMS integration to Hangouts and made it a default-installed app on all Androids. It was tied to your Google account so most people (and basically all Android users) already had an account. It was pre-installed, meaning you didn't need to pitch people to install another app, which is usually a big ask. Instead you say "hey open this app you already have ins…

I still remember the glory that was Google Talk back in 2005-ish. And you could connect to it from other xmpp networks. It's insane to me that the current google chat app (a neglected box within gmail) is WAYYY worse than it was almost 20 years ago.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#205

Post by ivoras »

This is a US thing, right?

Haven't received an SMS from a real person (in other words, all SMSes I get are 2FA etc) for, at least 5 years, maybe 10.

Even people who use iPhones don't send SMSes, MMSes or anything as obsolete (including RCS). Everyone just seems to use WhatsApp and Telegram (or if they don't know any better, Viber). Locale: Central Europe.

So, why would anyone stick to the obsolete stuff? Are there regions of the US which have cell phone signals but no Internet access?

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#206

Post by isatty »

vzaliva wrote: post #187

Apple messaging is super annoying. I use Android phone but also have an iPad. Whenever I chat with someone on iPhone, is suddenly decides to route all messages via iMessage instead of SMS and I do not see them on my phone. You have to disable iMessage in iPad to avoid this.

I don’t see how this is a problem. If you want to use an inferior method then it should be opt out (like you are doing) instead of the other way around.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#207

Post by gjs278 »

nemothekid wrote: post #121
blinkingled wrote: post #107

> iPhones make texts with Android phones difficult to read, by using white text on a bright green background. Wow. I can't really come up with anything creative to blame Google for this one. Whatever you want to say about Google's messaging mess and RCS - Apple seems to go out of their way to make it inconvenient to text with Android users. Also it doesn't sound like Google's asking Apple to give up iMessage - just t…

iMessage was released on iOS 5 with the release of the iPhone 4S. Before then, all messages had a green background. Somehow sticking with the default of more than 10+ years is intentional maleficence by Apple?

No post body was provided.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#208

Post by tonfa »

sunsetandlabrea wrote: post #80
kramerger wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it is not. The RCS standards are managed by the GSMA. It is supported by many companies, one of which is Google.

So where is it used except Android? With any market share that makes it significant beyond android?

That's a weird reply when a market has mostly two players. By definition there won't be any other significant market share.

Re: “It’s time for Apple to fix texting”

#210

Post by pharmakom »

zoover2020 wrote: post #165
etchalon wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Green is historical, not a specific decision by Apple to hinder reading texts. Before iOS 5, and the release of iMessage, all messages on iOS were green. That Google is painting this as something else speaks to how disingenuous this whole conversation has gotten, in all corners.

But it turns automatically green when you text a non iPhone device. You have no idea how much of a hot topic this is I modern bullying

If apple made them all the same color I think bullying would change by around 0%
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