Kids probably aren’t getting stuffed into lockers because they have an Android phone. Probably. They made lockers a lot slimmer and shorter, it’s much harder to get anyone stuffed into one these days. That’s not to say that, with more room, someone may still want to stuff a kid into a locker for having an Android phone. I really couldn’t say, but it seems unlikely.
Still, not all bullying is violence. Sometimes it’s just exclusion. It’s the fear of that exclusion that drives kids to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. That could be wearing certain clothing, bullying other kids, or… asking mom and dad for an iPhone. Because no one wants a green bubble in their group chat.
What’s all this about green bubbles? It’s how Apple’s Messages app shows the difference between messages sent between Apple users over iMessage and those sent via SMS, standard text messages. Specifically, it calls out Android users and limits group chats and messages. Just like you don’t want to be the one who spoils everyone’s fun, you don’t want to be the green bubble in a group chat.
Is Apple taking advantage of bullying to increase iPhone ownership? Seemingly, yes. It’s working, too. 87% of Gen Z owns an iPhone, with more on the way.
The Dreaded Green Bubble
iMessage carries benefits you just can’t get over standard text messaging. You’ve got read receipts, reactions, encrypted messages, full resolution pictures, gifs, message styles and effects, videos, voice messages, and easy video calling with a tap. With an Android phone, all you can do is SMS, and that’s limited. Photo and video are there, but the quality is reduced, if it’ll work at all. In group chats, if someone reacts to something, you’ll get an annoying, “<Friend name> liked a message” text message. Even the bubble itself is problematic. The green color intentionally has a reduced contrast, making it harder to read than the blue message bubble.
Basically, messaging an Android phone is an annoyance. Your group chats are made worse if someone in them has an Android phone instead of a good and proper iPhone. It sounds petty, but that’s lead to some people excluding others because of their phone or messaging them less frequently. It socially isolates Android users.
I have to admit, and I’m sorry to do so, but when I finally exchange phone numbers with someone from Tinder and I see she has blue bubbles, I breathe a sigh of relief. I even make sure I tell people that I’m an Android developer, but I use iOS, just so they don’t think less of me off the bat. If a match turns out to have green bubbles, I break things off with her right then and there.
What? Yes, of course I’m kidding!
But it is a bit disappointing. Just a little. A small amount. I mean, I still got a girl’s number, that’s always great… even if she is a green bubble.
Apple Accused of Bullying
But you see, while I may not write someone off for their phone, other people might. Kids are especially brutal. Perhaps that’s why 87% of Gen Z own iPhones, with 88% intending to make their next phone an iPhone as well. Would so many users choose an iPhone over an Android device if not for iMessage bullying? Perhaps not.
Apple knows it doesn’t have to make things so difficult for Android users. Apple could make the message bubbles easier to read, less ugly. They could support the more universal Rich Communication Services (RCS) standards. This would bring encryption and other, more iMessage-like features, to all text messages. Apple could easily make texting an Android phone as seamless as texting an iPhone. They just don’t want to.
When you think about it, Apple may not be doing any bullying themselves, but they’re enabling it. Sure, Apple didn’t kick any kids themselves, but they did tape a “Kick me” sign on the back of every Android user. “Kick me out of the group chat,” that is.
Sources:
- William Gallagher, AppleInsider
- Florence Ion, Gizmodo
- Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider