“Hey, why can’t I add people to this group chat? Oh, it’s because someone has an Android. Whoever is the Android is messing up this chat.”
I have, many times, heard this and other similar jabs as an Android user when I join an iPhone conversation. Whether it’s the terrible video quality or the disabled reactions and replies, I have personally received complaints about how the Apple user experience is affected by Android users. Most teens experience this social pressure in one form or another, especially in the United States. According to a spring 2024 study by Piper Sandler, 85% of teens in the U.S. own an iPhone, with 86% expecting an iPhone to be their next phone. Lakeside’s results, based on Tatler poll data, were similar. 83% of respondents said they have an iPhone, and 17% said they have an Android. This is probably evidence of “green bubble shaming.”
What is “green bubble shaming?” It’s a common occurrence — Tatler poll data concludes that 83% of Android users have been teased for the phone they have, and 77% of iOS users have teased people for having Androids. To be clear, this article isn’t an Android user snitching on her friends for teasing her. I personally don’t care if people poke fun at my phone choice — disagreement is the mark of a good friendship. But when heckling on the basis of technology turns into social exclusion and the furthering of a corporation’s hidden ideals, it’s time to talk about it. Green bubble shaming is wrong. Here’s why.
- Apple and Android phones are not functionally that different.
They’re both just phones. Bringing up the functions of these devices in a debate of iPhone versus Android isn’t a one-and-done argument. iPhone functionality has been blown out of proportion by the company itself. According to the “New York Times,” the current best Android phone is the Google Pixel 8, and the current best iPhone is the iPhone 15. The Google Pixel 8 starts at $699, and the iPhone 15 starts at $799. For all the hype around iPhones, it’s not the price difference that you would expect. The Pixel has an extremely good camera, continuous security updates, and is highly customizable. The iPhone charges quickly, has a long battery life, and includes some modern features like the “Dynamic Island,” a bubble at the top of the screen displaying all kinds of information. Both phones have features that some people would want and some wouldn’t. - It’s not Androids causing the green bubbles.
Neon green bubbles, no reactions or replies, delayed and doubled message sending — it may seem like annoying Androids always ruin the group chat because they just can’t communicate well with Apple devices.
The thing is, it’s not Android’s fault.
According to the Department of Justice, Androids could easily use all of these functions if, in 2010, an Apple executive hadn’t emailed the CEO complaining that “it is easy to switch from iPhone to Android.” So what did Apple do? They locked down their technology, trapping everything from cloud backups to message reactions in their private ecosystem. Android is not allowed in. You’ll also have trouble connecting iOS devices to any other third-party service such as a file backup system. So iOS users, don’t blame Android users for that green bubble — your own sponsor is sabotaging your experience. - The Apple monopoly is polarizing the phone market.
Based on the three most popular models of each phone in 2024, iPhones are on average 20% more expensive than Android. They are high-end electronics with a hyper-modern look and feel. Not to mention they’re trending all over the world. This makes iPhones highly sought after, while all other phones are bumped down to a subordinate level. There’s two sides of the system: the walled garden of Apple and everyone else on the outside. Apple is an elite society. Even though Android devices are usually cheaper, people who can’t afford iPhones still feel like they have to buy them. Consequently, people are financially and socially polarized by an extreme system.
“It’s just a joke!” is a common response when people are called out for green bubble shaming. . So why does teasing your Android-using friends matter?
In the long term, people’s options will be severely limited by Apple. In my experience, green bubble shaming almost always has good intentions behind it — it’s not meant to actually hurt anyone’s feelings. But you never know how the joke will be received. If an Android user happens to be hurt, they may even switch to an iPhone. Thus: They have succumbed control to the biggest phone company, making it even bigger. They’ve bought into the monopoly.
The world’s already divided enough — the last thing we need to shame people for is the color of their texts. Not only is green bubble shaming wrong on a basic moral level, but it also encourages a polarized technology market controlled mainly by one big company: Apple. Consider that the next time you enter a group chat and start to type: “Who’s the Android?”
