The announcement that Apple would finally adopt RCS messaging in iMessage made major tech headlines earlier today. With modern messaging features, iPhones and Android devices can text each other properly. But some were left wondering – will green and blue bubbles still exist to differentiate iOS and Android users? Apple has now provided an answer.
Apple confirmed in an interview that it will continue using green message bubbles for Android users in iMessage chats. iPhones will still show blue bubbles when messaging other Apple devices. This makes sense because Androids won’t fully get iMessage, so Apple needs a way to distinguish platforms. However, it means the “green bubble bullying” might not completely go away.
RCS support should still improve messaging between iOS and Android. Features like seeing when someone is typing, sharing high-quality photos and videos, seeing each other’s locations, and more will finally be available cross-platform. Messaging between the different operating systems will be a smoother experience.
So in short – while messaging is getting upgraded thanks to RCS adoption, don’t expect those colorful bubbles telling iOS and Android users apart to disappear anytime soon. Only using the new standard can texting between iPhones and Androids be truly on par. At least this marks a big step closer to closing the divide between the two dominant mobile platforms.
