green bubble syndrome

If you're an Android user, and you've been sensing some deep tensions
between yourself and iPhone users, you may not be imagining it.
According to a new survey conducted by All About Cookies, some iPhone
users "think less" of others represented as a green bubble while
texting, which often depicts Android users.

Conversely, a notable number of Android users have considered switching
to iPhone. Not necessarily because they believe that it's a better
device, but because they've felt pressured or ridiculed into making the
change.

For this study, All About Cookies surveyed 1,000 anonymous adults in
July 2024 via Pollfish, a market research survey tool.

Among the iPhone users surveyed in the study, nearly a quarter — 22
percent — admit that they look down on users that send "non-iMessage
texts" (e.g., Android users). However, 78 percent of iPhone-owning
participants say they don't feel superior to green-bubble senders.

Interestingly, 23 percent of iPhone users get turned off when they
discover that a potential love interest comes up as a green bubble in
their first text conversation, calling it a "dealbreaker."

The survey looked at how male and female participants differed in their
responses. One question asked, "Would it be a dealbreaker for someone
you were interested in to use a non-Apple phone?" Thirty-one percent of
men said yes; 16 percent of women said the same.

The survey discovered that 52 percent of Android users were "made fun
of at some point" by iPhone users for their mobile device; 36 percent
said they were "negatively judged." Twenty-six percent confessed to
feeling embarrassed about their Android device.

Additionally, 30 percent of Android users considered switching due to
peer pressure, the survey revealed.

While there’s some friction between Android and iPhone users, the
survey found that both camps are seek equal footing by exploring more
seamless messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp).

Forty-two percent said yes when asked, "Have you ever switched to a
third-party messaging app to accommodate non-iOS users?"

While Apple hasn't shown any indication that it will drop the green
bubbles any time soon, the Cupertino-based tech giant now supports RCS
messaging (also known as Rich Communication Services) in Messages with
the launch of iOS 18.

Without RCS Messaging support, Android and iPhone users experienced
some foibles while messaging each other. For example, videos and
pictures appeared blurry and low-quality due to heavy media
compression. Plus, there are no read receipts nor typing indicators.
However, as mentioned, that is now changing with iOS 18.

Expect higher-quality media sharing and other modern messaging features
between iPhone and Android users, thanks to iOS 18. The only thing that
won't be featured with iPhone-supported RCS is end-to-end encryption,
though the GSM Association (Global System for Mobile Communications),
which is at the helm of the RCS standard, is working to bring
end-to-end encryption to both mobile operating systems.

https://mashable.com/article/iphone-users-think-less-of-android-users-green-bubbles

--
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong." ~ Gandhi