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Google's New 'iPager' Ad Shames Apple for Using Outdated Messaging Standard
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While iMessage might be very popular in the US, here in my country I don’t really know anyone who uses it. It’s not that common in here since most people use Android, even Apple users don’t use it. Instead, most people here use apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
For me, most of the people I know use Android and I cannot get all of them to buy an iPhone just so they can use iMessage
And I do know some people who use iPhones, but they don’t really seem to care about iMessage/FaceTime.
That being said, I don’t really think adding RCS support would change anything. I think most people here will just continue using WhatsApp and Telegram still.
Basically every major carrier had unlimited texting prior to 2011. All of them had it by 2008.
MARKETING
Apple only even acknowledged Windows when it ran its “Get a Mac” ad campaign because the Mac’s marketshare was but a tiny fraction of Windows’ marketshare and Apple had to. Sales of new Macs had to come at the expense of someone!
Likewise, Microsoft incessantly compares its various (confusing) ”Surface” incarnations to Apple’s iPad in its ads because iPad is the far and away leader in marketshare.
But otherwise, in Marketing, don’t acknowledge your competitors even exist unless you absolutely have to.
By acting like no iPod competitors even existed in Apple’s advertising and promotion, Apple ended up owning that market. “iPod” was even a product category unto itself, and only one company made iPods.
Head-to-head comparisons to Android phones would only legitimize these “non-iPhones” as if they’re worthy of comparison and worthy of Apple’s attention — and would imply to the consumer that Apple “has something to worry about.”
(Even if they are worthy alternatives, it’s not Apple’s job to advertise it!)
The closest Apple ever came to comparing iPhones to competitors was its onetime tagline, “If it's not an iPhone, it's not an iPhone.”
Otherwise, act as if iPhone is the only game in town (and you’d be surprised by how many people believe it).
iMessage’s incompatibility with Android only furthers the point.
Marketing is war.
Every Android owner who says they don’t care about green text bubbles…cares about green text bubbles.
And they’ve never forgiven Apple for standardizing Internet/WiFi texting in place of crazy ”per character” Carrier texting service billing…
The first iPhone came out in 2007, so…
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That is close to a universal truth. The more someone complains that they “don’t care”, the more they really do care. It goes beyond green text bubbles but applies to lots of other things
True, but Apple doesn't seem to be that much better. They tout about privacy, but really, they only care about that so long as it sells their phones.
Moreover Google has a huge financial incentive with carriers pushing RCS as a standard.
Funny ONLY using Google’s Messages app was it NOT standard enabled initially until earlier this year.
iMessage is the standard but I hope Apple ia ready to push out for AndroidOS should iMessage become like RIM’s BBM before their rebrand.
I’m starting to see more SPAM iMessages being sent to me - many are GROUPED messages which iMessage for me shares my mobile # when that occurs. So I need to open up and view the group of the spam I’ve been added to and then BLOCK each one first.
I TRULY hope iOS and iPhone PROPERLY make Blocking a number truly blocked!
Not a hidden alert!
Block so no sms, rcs, nor iMessage nor phone call ever comes through. Apple work with carriers to better detect potential robo calls and spam please!!
Every carrier HAD it, but they didn’t offer EVERY plan with it. My first iPhone plan was with… I think 15 free messages and then I was charged .10 a message over that. The green bubble didn’t stand for android, it meant “you may have just gotten charged for that”. “And if you reply, you may get charged for that, too.”
Currently a quick check shows that there’s not a single post paid plan offered by AT&T now that does not include unlimited texting. And, a cursory glance at Verizon and TMobile I think shows the same. If the carriers still charged per message like in most of the rest of the world, the messaging landscape would likely be very different in the US.
That sounds about right. Which means that the moment folks need to worry about Apple’s privacy stance is when they stop selling iPhones! Good point.
Apple does not need RCS, RCS needs Apple.
If Google paid Apple $1 billion per month to support RCS then I see little reason for Tim to say "no".
I love the green bubble vs blue bubble. Makes dating easier to be able to ID if the other party's not at par.
If Google paid Apple $1 billion per month to support RCS then I see little reason for Tim to say "no".
I love the green bubble vs blue bubble. Makes dating easier to be able to ID if the other party's not at par.
Most people don’t care about green bubbles. Other else why would most use WhatsApp including iphone users. Many people I know use WhatsApp & they have iPhones.
You must live in the USA?
Because everybody else uses WhatsApp even if they have an iPhone.
I think iMessage is only very popular in the USA because most people there are iPhone users. In most other countries (including my country) most people use other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, even when they are iPhone users.
It’s not really a matter of “green vs blue bubble” thing or whatever it is, it’s just the fact iMessage & FaceTime are not that popular in those other countries. And I think adding RCS support will not change anything for that matter. I know several people who use iPhones from my country and they don’t care at all about iMessage and FaceTime. Instead, they all use WhatsApp
According to some sources, like one linked below, India has by far the most WhatsApp users with over 535 million which is not really a surprise given the size of the country. The United States comes in fourth with 98 million.
WhatsApp Users Statistics (2025): How Many People Use It?
WhatsApp has 2.95 billion monthly active users and the projected growth is 3.14 Billion Users. Explore latest WhatsApp statistics inside.
www.demandsage.com
The reason I said was are you in the USA. Is because iMessage seems to be a big deal in USA & no where else because the default app to use is WhatsApp even if you have an iPhone.According to some sources, like one linked below, India has by far the most WhatsApp users with over 535 million which is not really a surprise given the size of the country. The United States comes in fourth with 98 million.
View attachment 2280439
WhatsApp Users Statistics (2025): How Many People Use It?
WhatsApp has 2.95 billion monthly active users and the projected growth is 3.14 Billion Users. Explore latest WhatsApp statistics inside.
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How many Google Play gift cards do I have to give them so they’ll stop calling me?According to some sources, like one linked below, India has by far the most WhatsApp users with over 535 million which is not really a surprise given the size of the country. The United States comes in fourth with 98 million.
View attachment 2280439
WhatsApp Users Statistics (2025): How Many People Use It?
WhatsApp has 2.95 billion monthly active users and the projected growth is 3.14 Billion Users. Explore latest WhatsApp statistics inside.