Peer pressure to use iMessage? Talking Tech podcast

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

More:Daily news, true crime, and more USA TODAY podcasts

Hey there listeners. It's Brett Molina. Welcome back to Talking Tech.

If you own an iPhone and you have text message, which I am 99% sure you have, then you're likely aware of how you can tell the difference between someone who is texting you from an iPhone, or someone who's texting you from an Android, or other smartphone. When you get a text message from an iPhone and you're using iMessage, you'll see the text bubble pop up in blue. If they're using an Android phone, that text bubble pops up in green. Google is claiming that that distinction leads to, "Peer pressure and bullying" that has ultimately given Apple's iMessage a clear edge when it comes to what smartphone folks are going to use and what text messaging platform they use. I write about this in a story that you can read on tech.USAtoday.com.

Heroshi Lockheimer, who is the senior Vice President of Google products, which includes Android, wrote on Twitter that Apple's efforts to lock in users to its iMessage platform is, "A documented strategy." This was in response to a report that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. And it talked about how teens were reluctant to switch over from iPhone to Android, or they were having regrets about making that switch because of that green text bubble signaling they use an Android device. Very fascinating because it talked about examples of some users on Android were missing out on group chats because of iMessage, or they were just left out because a lot of iPhone users just don't like looking at the green text bubble. Here is the quote from Lockheimer, this is what he said on Twitter. "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 primary account for Android also jumped in on this sharing this tweet, also had its own statement saying, "IMessage should not benefit from bullying. Texting should bring us together. And the solution exists." We reached out to Apple. We could not immediately reach them for comment on these remarks.

There's a support page on Apple's website that breaks down why you see green text bubbles versus blue. If it's green, it basically means that it is an SMS text message. It's basically coming from an Android phone or just another outside smartphone, not iMessage. And of course, if you own an Android phone, then you know that Apple does not offer iMessage on any other device outside its own. If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, those are pretty much the places that you could use iMessage, and also Mac's as well. I don't want to forget about the Mac as well.

Now we've seen a lot of stories too in the past, over years now, this isn't a new phenomenon, about iPhone users who really like the blue text bubble over the green. There was one story I read and it had an example on Twitter of, I believe it was a high school student who talked about how they had gotten an Android phone, and they were in a group chat, and they got shut out of the group chat because people just didn't like seeing the green text bubble, which seems really wild to me, but it is a thing that happens.

Google meanwhile, a lot of their phones offer SMS, obviously as most cell phones do and smart phones, but Google's also been pushing its own RCS texting platform that stands for Rich Communication System, as a way to update, if you want to upgrade from SMS, but also as a better competitor with iMessage, because this is clearly a thing. It's also a reminder of how these tech companies really like to lock you into their ecosystems so if you do decide you want to leave, it just becomes more challenging. Think about Apple as an example. If you've got an iPhone, if you've got a Mac, if you're using iCloud, if you're using Apple Music, if you're using Apple TV, if you have all these services that are tethered to Apple, and you say to yourself, you know what? I want to switch to Android. It's pretty difficult. And it feels like a lot of effort to unspool those threads and to move on and really switch.

Same thing with Google though. Gmail, the countless other services they offer. Once you're locked in, sometimes it's really hard, or it's a lot of effort to get out. And of course, a lot of these devices tend to not be as friendly with the others. Of course these companies don't want you to mix and match, have an Android Phone and then an Apple service, and then this and this, it becomes a little trickier. Right?

Of course they want you all locked into this ecosystem. But again, this is another good example of how a company like an Apple or a Google really pushes to lock you into one spot so that way again, you're a forever customer and you don't want to leave. But listeners, let's hear from you. Do you have any comments, questions, or show ideas? Have you had any experiences with iMessage with the blue text bubble versus the green text bubble? I'd love to hear them. Let me know on Twitter. I'm @brettmolina23.

Please don't forget to subscribe and rate us or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, anywhere you get your podcasts. Don't forget. Do you want tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to the Talking Tech newsletter. It's out every Thursday. Go to newsletters.USAtoday.com. You've been listening to Talking Tech. We'll be back tomorrow with another quick hit from the world of tech.