The US market is such a weird one. Apple owns more than 80% of all teens over there and Android might struggle to expand there in the future. However, outside the US, Android is still prevalent in many markets (and will grow in many third world countries), iMessage isn't that used, and blue/green bubble argument does not exist.
this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2024
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Really boggles us non-Americans about the allure of iMessage.
'Murican Android user here. I've never gotten any shit pertaining to iMessage compatibility or this chat bubble color thing. I think what we're hearing about is just a few toxic circles being presented as the norm for everyone here.
I wouldn't be surprise if it was a gorilla marketing campaign.
I believe you mean "guerilla marketing" campaign.
It's more fun the other way. And I wouldn't be surprised if the possibly came up in some meetings when Harambee was trending.
It's more common with teens (80% of which are on iPhones here). Teens will grow up, and become adult iPhone users.
As I recently former teen who never had an iPhone, the only place I've heard it talked about is California, but in Midwest/South nobody cares.
I used to think the same, until it happened to me twice..
I got playful groans both times for being the only person in a class group with an Android. I have an iPad so it ended up being a non-issue.
Heck, I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She's 28.
I'm not saying it should exist, but stuff like this very much affects people whether we like it or not and pretending like it's a non-issue doesn't help them.
I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She's 28.
What's funny is thinking that's a red flag is itself a red flag.
If I was dating someone who revealed they're focused on petty shit like that, I'd be worried about a relationship full of drama.
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I'm convinced that it's purposeful sabotage on Apple's part because if there's one Android user in a group chat iMessage fucks up images/videos/effects for all recipients. So being the lone Android holdout gets you pressured to switch
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Remember that you're often talking to teens on the internet, lol. And for them it's more of a peer pressure thing. Apple got em good.
Europe is a pretty similar situation with WhatsApp, where everyone is kind of forced to use that same platform, just luckily WhatsApp is available on iOS and Android.
Or Facebook Messenger, which I kind of have to use to talk to my relatives and some friends around the world.
Doesn't have the same weird pressure to use one device manufacturer like in the US though, but trying to get someone (let alone everyone) to add you on Telegram or Signal can be a similar struggle, if they don't see a value in the effort required to switch apps just for you.
Not all of Europe, the further east you go the more telegram is used.
Fair enough, but then it's the same issue to try and convince them to add you on WhatsApp (or iMessage) if they use Telegram. The point is that these are all platforms that we similarly end up stuck on, depending on what most people in our community landed on. In that way it's not so different to the situation in the US.
People only want to use one messaging client for all their contacts, and as long as the clients remain closed platforms, we are prevented from just using whichever client we individually prefer, we have to use the platform decided on by the community, or fight an uphill battle to get everyone to reluctantly install a second messaging app just for us.
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Stupid kids decided it was a status symbol and no one in the states really uses third party message apps.
I don't want to call the kids stupid. It's the Network Affect. Apple has a sleek design and like two phones. Android it really uneven in quality and capabilities between mid range end high end. I've been on Androids since 2012 and love them. I can however understand why iPhone caught on and then you're friends are on they're and you want to be. Social pressure doesn't make kids stupid just human.
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iMessage does not exist in Europe. I have never ever seen someone use it.
I hate that it’s used so heavily in the states. It’s the biggest reason that I’m still using an iPhone over Android.
I live internationally and it’s too difficult to convince my contacts to switch. Just not worth the trouble.
Why you let people decide for you what phone you use? I moved here and every single one of my friends have WhatsApp even though they use iPhone.
Crazy this is like needing Whatsapp on steroids. Literally needing such a crap locked down tracking device just because the US doesnt have the balls to force apple to open up
Mate, I've never once been pressured to use an iPhone in the states. Not sure what any of that has to do with international travel where chat platforms are phone-agnostic. No one using whatsapp cares about my Pixel.
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I use Google Voice to text people
It's definitely prevelant in the UK. Although not as much as in the USA by far.
I'm just pissed that apples dominance has neutered good competitive Android phones in the US. There's only a few higher end Android phones to pick from and none have even a microsd card slot anymore. Let alone a headphone jack or replaceable battery. I have the ability to replace my note 20 ultra battery (current phone and last high end Samsung with a microsd card slot) but Samsung won't sell the batteries and the aftermarket ones are hot garbage. I may have another tear or so before I'm forced to get a new phone just because of that.
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As someone who switched from android to iPhone after using android exclusively (only because I’m sick to shit of my devices breaking themselves at about the 2 year mark - and I don’t mean software):
Apple is a fucking nightmare to swap to if you use your device for anything beyond the absolute basics. I’m honestly probably going to swap off it sooner rather than later.
It’s a miserable experience to go from being able to do basically whatever you want… to not even being able to change to a specific ringtone without paying for it or going through some ridiculous process on Mac to convert. (And before some random asshole pipes up -again- and says “there’s tons of ways” without telling me what they are, I’ve looked and found nothing so either tell me the ways or don’t bother replying because no there aren’t, that’s why everyone on iOS has the same set of ringtones.) I mean hell, it’s painful just to move photos to a pc. Like ridiculously painful. Unless you pay for iCloud.
And the whole ecosystem is supposed to “just work”, but it doesn’t. Tons of finicky little problems, like I can’t get “find my” to play sound on my phone the next room over with all the settings enabled, and even the time of day focus on my watch is usually wrong, which is like a super basic function of this crap. But you can’t really troubleshoot because of the lockdown on everything.
Venting aside, it’s simply not worth it to switch from android. It’s a downgrade in every single way except hardware being built to last, and the software getting regular security updates. That’s it. That’s all it has going for it. I thought that might be enough, but it really isn’t.
What do you do to your phones? I've never had an android that only lasted me two years. My current is a nearly 4 year old n20 ultra that's still going strong and I won't give up because it's the last good android phone made with a micro sd card slot.
Nothing outrageous, I baby them and try to buy at least decent quality. They just.. never last.
I am, however, the walking incarnation of Murphy law, so like.. it’s not surprising to me that this happens.. (same as I’m the one with all the apple issues for no reason)
My last phone, the charge port failed about 2 yrs, I used it for 3 (fortunately still had wireless charging so I could have used it longer technically, but wanted to try apple before it was mandatory to give up)
Phone before that, the speakers failed so I couldn’t even take calls, about 2 years. (I don’t listen to stuff, so this wasn’t volume abuse or something causing failure)
Phone before that got bricked during an update but that was a cheap phone that didn’t have recovery because I was broke. Can’t afford to keep replacing shit even used..
Prior, mobo failure. You get the idea.
Only one phone broke because of something I actually did to it, and that was way back when slide out keyboards were still a thing, a Sony Xperia pro. I flashed a newer android version and then tried to revert to an older version (playing with custom roms) and broke the governor chip so the battery would read zero when not on the charger.
And I do fix things when the parts are available, economical, and it’s possible to fix, but that isn’t always the case.
Ouch. You have a solid case of bad luck. I just replaced a phone speaker for a co-worker a month or so ago, but it was an iPhone.
Did you actually break the USB C port or did it just stop working? Those are kinda hard to break and usually if they stop working it's because lint was pushed up into the port that needs dug out or the contacts are just dirty and isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush will fix it.
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On the ringtone front, it's still rediculous but you can use Garageband to create your preferred ringtones. I typically download form zedge and convert them in Garageband. The UI has changed abit but essentially this is the tutorial: https://osxdaily.com/2020/09/11/how-set-song-ringtone-iphone-garageband/
I appreciate the reply, because you took the time, but that was the “needs Mac” option.
I don’t have a Mac, won’t get one, and emulating is frankly too much work for a ringtone. Garage band doesn’t run on windows or Linux afaik, at least not without being a pain.
That’s the problem. On android, zedge can not only download but set ringtones for you even for individual contacts if you like, because it’s amazingly basic. I used it for years.
I miss that very basic customizing.
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I used to have the same problem with my Android phones crapping out at the 2 year mark. That was with Motorola and Samsung phones, and an LG got my wife. I know there are lots of people who have had good fortune with those brands of phones, but that wasn't the case for me.
I ended up getting a 1st gen Pixel, and that sucker lasted for over 5 years. I'm now on a Pixel 4a, and about two years in and everything is going well. I'm not sure if it's just Google phones in general, or if the quality of Android phones in general is improving. But either way it's encouraging. In my experience (and the experience of several other people I know), Google makes damn good phones. It's a shame they are a shitty company in other (i.e. ethical) areas.
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I tried to switch to iOS when my pixel 3xl died. I gave up after 24hrs and bought a Pixel 6Pro.
Every time I tried to do something on the iPhone, or find a comparable app, it either couldn't be done, or needed an app with an ongoing paid subscription. It was infuriating. Paying one time for an app is one thing. I don't need to be spending 10s of dollars or a month in perpetuity just to use some apps on my phone when I can get the same functionality free, or for a smaller one time payment elsewhere.
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My guess is that the increased price of phone have led more adults to find a mid-range android coupled with the increased support for OS updates from Google and others.
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My gf got an iPhone last year to try and experience it. I've thing she uses her phone a lot fit is movie consumption. Iphone doesn't let you transfer files from a pc to it by just plugging in the USB and using the file manager let me tell you. She is pissed.
The way Apple wants you to transfer files is to install iTunes from the Microsoft store. I do not envy the fact that you have to use an app that hasn't changed much since 2014. Or the Finder on macOS.
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Honestly, being in the US surrounded by iPhones really pisses me off. To make matters worse, I am in the age range of the teens who love their iPhones. I really, really, really hate the iPhone and the iSheep that somehow use it. I feel like brain surgery is required to become an iSheep that can actually use an iPhone.
Honestly, I also hate Android too. I am going to quit using cell phones entirely because they piss me off.
Also, is there an exhaustive list of every single thing normies do on their phones? Normies as in US Gen Z normies. I already know advertisers figured this out.
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They, like me, probably realize there's no cheap ass phones anymore and you can't get out of the Google ecosystem easily.
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