Blue Bubbles vs Green Bubbles: Google Accuses Apple Of Bullying Teens Into Using iMessage

Google is slamming Apple for bullying teenage consumers into using iMessage.

In a report published in the Wall Street Journal, Google accused the company of using the green and blue text bubbles as status symbols. According to Google, the green text bubble, which indicates that a person is using an Android, has a negative connotation attached to it, thanks to Apple, which identifies its users using blue text bubbles. 

WSJ’s report points out several surveys among teens and parents who react in a judgmental way when another user has a green chat bubble in their text feed. Apple allegedly uses this data to convince teens that they need to have an iPhone to be in the “cool group.”

On Saturday, Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer tweeted that Apple using “peer pressure and bullying” to sell their devices is “disingenuous for a company that has humanity and equity as a core part of its marketing.”

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

This practice within Apple is well documented. For years, there has been a call to roll out iMessage to Android users. However, in leaked internal docs from April 2021, Apple reiterated that it would not allow iMessage for non-iPhone users because it wanted to keep its customer base. 

iMessage has transformed beyond just a text messaging platform. It now contains unique features that make the texting experience more exciting. Users can use Memoji’s to express themselves and see when fellow iPhone users are typing a message or when they have read it. 

The official Android Twitter account also slammed Apple, writing, “iMessage should not benefit from bullying.”

iMessage should not benefit from bullying. Texting should bring us together, and the solution exists. Let’s fix this as one industry. 💚💙 https://t.co/18k8RNGQw4

— Android (@Android) January 8, 2022

Apple has not yet responded to Google’s latest claims.