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Ah, even after a decade of being a bunch of clowns, the idiocy of Scamsung continues, how predictable...
 
Dammit Samsung, this is NOT how you fix this problem.

That said, my kids' social life immediately changed for the better once I switched them to iPhone this summer.

So at least in my house, the iPhone Apartheid theory is real.

If only we could switch races (to whichever race is predominant in your local area) as quickly as we can switch phones, many of the world's problems would disappear overnight. ;)
 
As someone in the UK, this is not at all my experience. 99.9% of people use Whatsapp here, even techphobic old people.

This has been my experience, too. I'm an English person in the US - my entire family use Whatsapp for everything, even though most of them use iPhones.
 
Because nothing says "I don't care" like spending time and money on artists to design an entire collection of GIFs and then setting up a big social media campaign about it.

As someone who uses both iOS and Android, I find the whole fanboy wars a waste of energy. Just use whatever works for your individual use case. Not everyone is the same, some things work better for one person, other things work best for other people. While there are valid technological and security reasons for using iMessage, shunning people who use SMS for no reason other than just because of the bubble colour is childish. Making a social media campaign about this and trying to make oneself feel more superior for only having green text bubbles is equally childish.

Also the last time I checked, Samsung's stock messaging app uses blue speech bubbles too so they kinda shot themselves in the foot here:
S10ThemedTextMessage.png
 
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There are distinct feature differences which matter:

1. When I first got an iPhone, I had a plan which did not include text messages, so I was charged for each one sent or received. I almost never replied to SMS received, and I discouraged them being sent to me - because they cost money. At some point, my carrier granted me unlimited SMS, so I am not so strict. I'm sure there still are people who are subject to such terms.

2. Messages in iMessages are end-to-end encrypted. We specifically take advantage of this for some sensitive data that needs to be sent.

3. Messages in iMessages aren't restricted to just your phone. You can read them on any Mac or iOS device where you are logged in.

4. Messages in iMessages can be delivered and sent where there is internet connection but no cell connection. This may not matter if you exist exclusively in cell-rich areas, but not everyone does 100% of the time. (As some have pointed out, this explains some cases of mixed-group sending failures.)

5. Messages in iMessages don't have insanely low limits on size. I presume there actually is some limit on them, but I've never encountered it.

There are rational reasons for preferring blue whether in singular or group messages - it's not just petty platform status bickering.
 
I like the one with the green bursting out of the blue - casting the non-iMessage clearly as alien... Although it should come out of the stomach and not the back...

Alien clip for reference...
 
There are rational reasons for preferring blue whether in singular or group messages - it's not just petty platform status bickering.

It’s perfectly OK to have a preference if all people you consider as your friends need to do is to download an app and maybe register an account for that. It might seem a bit far-fetched for some, but hey, it’s not that much to stay in touch with your friends. However, if you insist that your friends dump an otherwise perfectly functional phone and replace it with an expensive hardware dongle for your preferred messaging service to be considered worthy of response, then you’re just being full of it.
 
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I've only become aware of this "issue" recently. I've never known anyone, using any brand of phone, in real life who cares about blue and green bubbles. Of course, I would never want to associate with anyone would would spend their time worrying about such things.
 
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I've only become aware of this "issue" recently. I've never known anyone, using any brand of phone, in real life who cares about blue and green bubbles. Of course, I would never want to associate with anyone would would spend their time worrying about such things.

yodajacobs' reply actually details legitimate reasons someone might care whether they are using SMS or iMessage to communicate with another person. It has been played up for comedic effect.
 
yodajacobs' reply actually details legitimate reasons someone might care whether they are using SMS or iMessage to communicate with another person. It has been played up for comedic effect.

I did not mean to imply that such concerns were illegitimate. I meant to imply they were trivial, and that I would not want to associate with people who can't elevate themselves over such small matters.

Or maybe I too am just playing up the "controversy" for comic effect.
 
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Oh I wouldn't be so sure. I'm in the UK and only use iMessage. Same with all my friends & family. But we're English. And posh. If I get a green SMS from someone it gets deleted immediately and the sender blocked. Riffraff.

In Italy everyone uses WhatsApp. Same in Germany and France. I can’t remember the last time I sent an sms or used iMessage.
 
I like 'em. Seems like a light-hearted way to call people out for judging people based on the brand of cellular telephone they use. I'm not innocent of that all of the time, but it is an objectively dumb thing to judge someone over.

There is a reason to judge though. Those using SMS lack features iOS offers. When you're in a large group text, non-iOS users really make it a worse experience. My office normally excludes the one Android user from large group text, due to the annoying text that follow people reacting to text (like, laugh, etc) and the sticker issues SMS causes. They just text that person separately the main message.
 
It’s perfectly OK to have a preference if all people you consider as your friends need to do is to download an app and maybe register an account for that. It might seem a bit far-fetched for some, but hey, it’s not that much to stay in touch with your friends. However, if you insist that your friends dump an otherwise perfectly functional phone and replace it with an expensive hardware dongle for your preferred messaging service to be considered worthy of response, then you’re just being full of it.

So it would be ok for said friends to insist that I participate in their preferred methods of messaging even though it easily could cost me $20+ month in extra per-message fees over the course of a month? As you say, they have a perfectly functional phone - have the courtesy of calling me instead of expecting me to pay to take your messages. (And that's something that could apply whether I have an iPhone, an Android phone, or a simple non-smart cellphone operating with a plan that doesn't include text messages.) Absent the cost consideration, I tend to agree with you, having a preference is just that, so response isn't precluded - it's a preference, not a prohibition.

I did not mean to imply that such concerns were illegitimate. I meant to imply they were trivial, and that I would not want to associate with people who can't elevate themselves over such small matters.

Or maybe I too am just playing up the "controversy" for comic effect.

In keeping with the first part of my reply above, cost considerations are not 'trivial'. I'm sure that it is a rare month where I don't send/receive 1000+ messages, probably double that most months. Most of those are iMessage using my Macs rather than my iPhone. (A usage pattern established with iChat, AIM, and Yahoo messenger long before iPhones existed.)
For me, multi-device continuity is a real factor - you're going to get a better conversation/communication with me when I can switch between devices easily than when I can't. It's not a matter of elevating - it's a simple fact that being able to switch from my desktop to my laptop to my phone will result in you getting faster and better responses as compared to a conversation where I can't do that.

The 'eww green messages!' approach is just a light-hearted way to have some fun with the difference. ; ) (And if people have actual conversations instead of throwing bombs at each other, it can serve as an intro where people learn about the actual differences in the features.)
 
As an iPhone user and reading some of the replies here as to how some of you don't reply to green bubbles is the exact reason why Samsung felt the need to do this. As long as the messages come thru and the message gets conveyed then there should be no problem.
The issue that I had with my Samsung and others have told me about is that the damn phone had trouble receiving texts and calls. And Samsung's support was so horrific, they told me to run the terminal to fix it. How about you have one of your ****** third party peeps actually look at it rather than expect me how to use an Android terminal and assume that it needs a reset rather than the fact that everything Samsung puts out that is software is worse than Microcraps?
 
In keeping with the first part of my reply above, cost considerations are not 'trivial'. I'm sure that it is a rare month where I don't send/receive 1000+ messages, probably double that most months. Most of those are iMessage using my Macs rather than my iPhone. (A usage pattern established with iChat, AIM, and Yahoo messenger long before iPhones existed.)
For me, multi-device continuity is a real factor - you're going to get a better conversation/communication with me when I can switch between devices easily than when I can't. It's not a matter of elevating - it's a simple fact that being able to switch from my desktop to my laptop to my phone will result in you getting faster and better responses as compared to a conversation where I can't do that.

The 'eww green messages!' approach is just a light-hearted way to have some fun with the difference. ; ) (And if people have actual conversations instead of throwing bombs at each other, it can serve as an intro where people learn about the actual differences in the features.)

If it isn't clear, I'm joking when I say that people who worry about the texting costs, etc., are beneath me. An adult conversation is not just a lecture from one side.

I can't possibly know everyone's individual circumstances. But for most, if you live outside of the US, WhatsApp is near ubiquitous. If you live in the US, unlimited texting is pretty standard. It's been at least 15 years since I've paid for a text myself.

I agree iMessage is a good system. It is one I would consider if it were cross-platform. If there is frustration to be directed, it should be directed at Apple for their decision to keep it system specific. But it does seem to be for a lot of iPhone users the most significant reason they stay on the platform. So I understand what Apple is doing from a business perspective.

In the end, though, I just accept that different people are going to communicate in different ways. I don't expect anyone to cater to me, nor would I be happy with anyone who complains about my choices. If anyone at my work cut people out of conversations due to cell phone choices, they'd get a stern talking to. My friends and I are all comfortable adults who can buy what we want, and I've never heard anyone complain about messaging options.

So yeah, I do find this topic pretty silly. But then again, I don't really understand brand loyalty, cell phone flame wars, etc. I buy what I like. I assume others will buy what they like. I accept the trivial issues this causes. And I read about tech because I enjoy it.
 
So it would be ok for said friends to insist that I participate in their preferred methods of messaging even though it easily could cost me $20+ month in extra per-message fees over the course of a month? As you say, they have a perfectly functional phone - have the courtesy of calling me instead of expecting me to pay to take your messages. (And that's something that could apply whether I have an iPhone, an Android phone, or a simple non-smart cellphone operating with a plan that doesn't include text messages.) Absent the cost consideration, I tend to agree with you, having a preference is just that, so response isn't precluded - it's a preference, not a prohibition.

Naturally it wouldn't, but no one on their right mind would suggest falling back to traditional SMS thanks to its limitations and cost. There are multiple cross-platform messaging apps that work over the data connection just like iMessage, many offer multi-device and desktop sync and still they're not restricted to Apple devices only.
 
As someone in the UK, this is not at all my experience. 99.9% of people use Whatsapp here, even techphobic old people.
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It really isn't. I think Jay-Jacob's experience is pretty much an anomaly. Heck I reckon even Snapchat/Insta is more popular than iMessage in the UK.
I have to agree with you. There are lots of iPhone users in the UK but most people I know use what’sapp.
 
I have to agree with you. There are lots of iPhone users in the UK but most people I know use what’sapp.

That why I said it depends who you know. Some group people might be WhatsApp and other might be iMessage group. For me it all iMessage and everyone prefer use iMessage.

I do agree there lot iPhone people here UK. I see them lot when using public transport especially London. Some old iPhone size like 5C and most use iPhone size like 6-8 and some brand new like iPhone X and later. I usually see more older iPhone with Touch ID than newer one with Face ID. Face ID iPhone get more and more common but not yet.
 
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That why I said it depends who you know. Some group people might be WhatsApp and other might be iMessage group. For me it all iMessage and everyone prefer use iMessage.

I do agree there lot iPhone people here UK. I see them lot when using public transport especially London. Some old iPhone size like 5C and most use iPhone size like 6-8 and some brand new like iPhone X and later. I usually see more older iPhone with Touch ID than newer one with Face ID. Face ID iPhone get more and more common but not yet.
I used to commute into London to work and there were lots of iPhones on the tube. However I now live outside London and even where I live now it’s like 90% iPhones here. I’m also starting to see quite a lot of iPhone X or later here too, even in school children.

I wish my contacts would use iMessage more.
 
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