A lot of it comes down to the messenger too. The younger people that I know prefer iMessage, green bubbles are like repellant to them. If android could get their shit together and make a similar app without doing the typical Google thing of fracturing it into five apps later on, then they might actually win some of the younger market share.
So RCS. Every Android device has it. Google has been attempting to put pressure on Apple to support it. Serves a similar purpose to iMessage and is integrated into the standard messaging app.
RCS was crippled from the start. It was intended to be implemented by the mobile carriers but none did at first. Then a handful did but they didn’t make it interoperable with each other.
There’s literally nothing Google can do about green bubbles, which based on my younger relatives is an unironic downside to Android. This is the kind of thing consumers care about, and it’s out of their hands.
If android could get their shit together and make a similar app
At this point if Apple stops being such an annoying ass company weaponizing iMessage and adopts RCS or if the EU forces RCS adoption, that’s the first step to loosening Apple’s grip on the US market.
Until people can send HD images, videos, gifs, and stickers irrespective of device/platform, Google or Samsung can’t do anything. Once teens see that their classmates and friends with Androids aren’t sending low res compressed pictures over text, they’ll have one less gripe about texting “green bubbles”. There’s a lot of other things that Google and Samsung can do after Apple adopts RCS to make the texting experiences even more seamless.
Personally I switched to the iPhone 12 after 3 years of owning a Pixel 2XL predominantly because the widgets and App Library features brought iOS on a day to day level on par with Android. Less customization and tinkering sure, but overall experience was a simpler and seamless one. I’ll switch back to a Pixel once RCS is adopted by Apple, and Google implements the necessary features to alleviate the green bubble vs blue bubble bullshit.
Teens don’t care about having a cohesive messaging app. The green vs blue bubble stigma has nothing to do with the usability of the app. It has everything to do with blue bubbles being a signifier of status because Apple = more expensive in people’s minds. Google has to penetrate that first.
A lot of it comes down to the messenger too. The younger people that I know prefer iMessage, green bubbles are like repellant to them. If android could get their shit together and make a similar app without doing the typical Google thing of fracturing it into five apps later on, then they might actually win some of the younger market share.
So RCS. Every Android device has it. Google has been attempting to put pressure on Apple to support it. Serves a similar purpose to iMessage and is integrated into the standard messaging app.
RCS was crippled from the start. It was intended to be implemented by the mobile carriers but none did at first. Then a handful did but they didn’t make it interoperable with each other.
Again imessage is ery NA specific. Rest of the world uses 3rd party apps anyways
In Europe depending on the country people use WhatsApp or Telegram. Nobody uses any Message, iMessage or SMS app here.
There’s literally nothing Google can do about green bubbles, which based on my younger relatives is an unironic downside to Android. This is the kind of thing consumers care about, and it’s out of their hands.
At this point if Apple stops being such an annoying ass company weaponizing iMessage and adopts RCS or if the EU forces RCS adoption, that’s the first step to loosening Apple’s grip on the US market.
Until people can send HD images, videos, gifs, and stickers irrespective of device/platform, Google or Samsung can’t do anything. Once teens see that their classmates and friends with Androids aren’t sending low res compressed pictures over text, they’ll have one less gripe about texting “green bubbles”. There’s a lot of other things that Google and Samsung can do after Apple adopts RCS to make the texting experiences even more seamless.
Personally I switched to the iPhone 12 after 3 years of owning a Pixel 2XL predominantly because the widgets and App Library features brought iOS on a day to day level on par with Android. Less customization and tinkering sure, but overall experience was a simpler and seamless one. I’ll switch back to a Pixel once RCS is adopted by Apple, and Google implements the necessary features to alleviate the green bubble vs blue bubble bullshit.
Teens don’t care about having a cohesive messaging app. The green vs blue bubble stigma has nothing to do with the usability of the app. It has everything to do with blue bubbles being a signifier of status because Apple = more expensive in people’s minds. Google has to penetrate that first.