https://www.android.com/get-the-message/ Google serves cookies to analyze traffic to this site. Information about your use of our site is shared with Google for that purpose. See details. Ok Android * What is Android * Android 12 * Phones & Tablets * Enterprise Search [ ] * What is Android * Android 12 * Phones & Tablets * Enterprise * Android Developers Languages [English ] Back to Top It's time for Apple to fix texting. It's not about the color of the bubbles. It's the blurry videos, broken group chats, missing read receipts and typing indicators, no texting over Wi-Fi, and more. These problems exist because Apple refuses to adopt modern texting standards when people with iPhones and Android phones text each other. Help @Apple #GetTheMessage In a video player window, a user looks with confused annoyance. Below them a caption reads "Why is this a thing?" A pair of text bubbles, one blue and one green, shake as if receiving a notification. Lines emanate from the text bubbles. There's a really clear solution. Apple turns texts between iPhones and Android phones into SMS and MMS, out-of-date technologies from the 90s and 00s. But Apple can adopt RCS--the modern industry standard--for these threads instead. Solving the problem without changing your iPhone to iPhone conversations and making messaging better for everyone. Help @Apple #GetTheMessage * Texting is broken * Social frustration * In the news * Other texting apps The Green Bubbles * The Green Bubbles * Texting is broken * Social frustration * In the news * Other texting apps * #GetTheMessage What iPhone users experience. It's not about the color of the bubbles--iPhone users get a bad texting experience. Help @Apple #GetTheMessage From purr-fect to pixelated. Photos and videos are often tiny and blurry because iPhones continue to use SMS/MMS. Share This is the chat that never ends. iPhones use outdated tech for group conversations with Android, so you can't leave the chat--even when you want to. Share A series of white cloud-like text bubbles float from left to right in front of a sky blue background. A Wi-Fi logo floats right to left, behind the clouds. Bye bye Wi-Fi. Texts from iPhones can't always be sent to Android over Wi-Fi, leaving your messages unsent and convos hanging if you don't have cell service. Share A green text bubble animates in. A keyhole and an open lock appear above the bubble. The lock then snaps down, locking the text bubble. Safely hit send? SMS and MMS don't support end-to-end encryption, which means your messages are not as secure. Share A circle with a red stroke floats around and magnifies a green text bubble with the word "Hello?" in it and a blue background. What does that say? iPhones make texts with Android phones difficult to read, by using white text on a bright green background. Share A light blue text bubble contains three animated typing indicator dots, bumping from left to right. Around the bubble are other text bubbles floating up and down. Will they or won't they? Without read receipts and typing indicators, you can't know if your Android friends got your text or if they're responding. Share The frustration is real. People are talking about it. From tweets to TikToks the conversation is bubbling. Help @Apple #GetTheMessage Social media posts animate from right to left with a mix of confounded, face with steam from nose and distraught face emoji; empty green text bubbles and quarter-circle ripples. You're frustrated about it, they're reporting about it. Cover for CNET piece of news Apple's iMessage issues are bigger than green or blue bubbles Learn more Cover news for Macworld Why iMessage is actually a failure Learn more A news cover from WSJ Why Apple's iMessage is winning: Teens dread the green text bubble Learn more Cover news for Forbes Google Messages to add iPhone reactions, more features to improve texting to iOS Learn more Apple should fix what's broken. The bad experience you get when texting Android users is created by Apple. But they can fix it by switching from SMS/MMS to RCS, the modern industry standard. And everyone's experience would be better. Help @Apple #GetTheMessage An angry face emoji with stress lines above it also has a thought bubble with a broken green text bubble and a complete blue text bubble. Other messaging apps. There are other messaging options without a broken experience that you can use right now. The Signal app logo. The Whatsapp app logo. FAQ What are green text bubbles? Green text bubbles are how Apple displays your messages when you're texting with someone who doesn't have an iPhone (or someone with iMessage disabled). But it's not just the color of the bubbles that change, the experience is worse too. What do green texts mean? Text messages that appear green on iPhone are sent via SMS and MMS, outdated systems that do not support modern texting features like end-to-end encryption, high quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators and more. What is RCS? Rich Communication Services is the modern industry standard for messaging. It's supported by most carriers and over 500 Android device manufacturers--but not Apple. What is the difference between texting on iPhone and Android? Texting between iPhones uses iMessage. Texting between Android phones uses RCS, the modern industry standard for messaging. Texting between iPhones and Android phones use SMS and MMS, outdated systems from the 90's and early 00's. The result is a poor experience--they do not support modern texting features like end-to-end encryption, high quality media sharing, read receipts, typing indicators and more. If Apple upgraded SMS/MMS to RCS, texting issues between iPhones and Android phones would be fixed. Why are my photos blurry and videos tiny? When people with iPhones and Android phones text each other, Apple relies on SMS and MMS, outdated systems that cannot support large media files. That means photos and videos are often compressed and come through blurry. The severity varies by location and carrier based on compression and size limits. Why are my text messages not sending over Wi-Fi? When people with iPhones and Android phones text each other, Apple relies on SMS and MMS, outdated systems which do not always support texting over wi-fi. That means if you don't have a cellular network connection, depending on your carrier and situation, you may not be able to send and receive texts. How do I fix green messages on my iPhone? If you're texting with an Android user, you're not able to change the color of the messages or avoid the constraints of SMS and MMS. But Apple can adopt RCS--the modern industry standard--and make these conversations better. Help them #GetTheMessage. Can I use RCS on iPhone? No, Apple does not support RCS, the modern industry standard for messaging. But you can tweet at @Apple to #GetTheMessage and fix texting. Thanks for visiting. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your experience to help us improve our website. It should take about a minute. 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