Apple uses Messages colors to bully Android users, says Google

A Google vice president claims that Apple is deliberately seeding "peer pressure and bullying" in its Messages app to get Android users to switch to iPhone.

Following a report that said teenagers are switching to iPhone to fit in, Google's Hiroshi Lockheimer claims that Apple is the bully and not its users.

Apple's iMessage lock-in is a documented strategy. Using peer pressure and bullying as a way to sell products is disingenuous for a company that has humanity and equity as a core part of its marketing. The standards exist today to fix this. https://t.co/MiQqMUOrgn
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) January 8, 2022

Lockheimer, Google vice president for Android, argues that Apple is refusing to accept what he calls the standard RCS system. Rich Communication Services (RCS) gives Android users many of the same features as iMessage, and Lockheimer has previously offered to help Apple implement it.

As of yet, RCS is not being as universally supported by carriers as Lockheimer implies — but much like iMessages, Android Messenger supports it.

Lockheimer isn't being benevolent by championing RCS as a universal standard, and isn't on exactly the best footing to make the criticism. Google has previously attempted developing many of its own proprietary messaging apps, most of which have been canceled and don't work any longer.

Furthermore, while Apple has seemingly achieved "lock-in" with teenagers in the US, for the rest of the world it is chiefly WhatsApp that is the most popular.

90 Comments

leehericks 46 comments · 9 Years

About 2 years ago

iMessage has been unchanged since it debuted and colors were necessary for mixing SMS with a modern message service.

There is no Apple campaign promoting blue bubbles :D

so silly.

ApplePoor 302 comments · 5 Years

Maybe Google would be better off worrying about their anti-trust issues than the color of the messages bubble which Apple had had since day one.

F_Kent_D 98 comments · 6 Years

I’m not too concerned about Google being butt hurt about bubble colors. Maybe they’re really worried about the amount of people switching away from their fragmented OS

stephanjobs 284 comments · 12 Years

Ridiculous claim.

We the consumer are the only ones who can actually turn the identifying colors into a “bullying mentality”.

In the beginning there was only one color. Distinguishing between iMessages and a non-iMessage text became necessary as iMessages evolved.

In general, I think the color scheme was correct as iMessages were sent over as a “free” message that only required an internet connection while non-iMessages needed a cellular plan which cost money.

Blue=free message/iMessage
green=Cellular plan ($$$)

It wasn’t intended for just android users, it was a visual indicator for anything that would cost you money.

Green =💰

I appreciated the identifier.

To this day I have to have a plan to include SMS messages for non Apple uses.

If anything this is bullying.

What a dumb thing to suggest that Apple created this bullying mentality.

If anything apple solved a problem and created competition to lower sms messaging plans. I still remember the days when was he text messages were counted and if you went over a certain amount you were charged extra.

Sure, now most if not all plans include unlimited calls and text messages, but let’s not forget that in the beginning we were all metered.

sdw2001 17459 comments · 23 Years

Count me amongst those who find this absolutely hilarious. Bullying? Because they use a color to distinguish iMessages from texts? ROTFL.