Google says Apple “should not take advantage of bullying” created by...

Google has accused Apple of profiting from bullying as part of a deliberate strategy to make Android users second-class citizens on the iPhone maker’s iMessage service.

Apple’s messaging service includes a number of iOS-exclusive features, such as Memoji, and converts Android users’ texts to green instead of the iOS native blue. This has made iMessage a status symbol among American teens, creating peer pressure for young people to buy iPhones, and at times ostracizing Android users. Appearing in a group conversation when the emergence of the green bubble has become, for some, a social faux pas.

A recent report in The Wall Street Journal He underlined this dynamic and elicited a response from both the Android team and Google’s Android Director, Hiroshi Lockheimer.

“IMessage should not profit from harassment. Texting should bring us closer, and the solution is there. Let’s break this down as one industry.”

iMessage should not benefit from bullying. Texting should bring us together, and the solution exists. Let’s fix this as one industry. 💚💙 https://t.co/18k8RNGQw4

— Android (@Android) January 8, 2022

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Lockheimer

Apple’s iMessage lock-in is a documented strategy. 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 standards exist today to fix this. https://t.co/MiQqMUOrgn

— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) January 8, 2022

: “Lock Apple iMessage is a documented strategy. Using peer pressure and bullying as a way to sell products is misleading to businesses that put humanity and fairness at the heart of their marketing. Today’s standards exist to address this problem.

Although Apple’s iMessage strategy has long been clear, Internal emails sent by company executives That emerged during Epic Games’ recent testing underscores the conscious importance of this strategy. Apple considered making iMessage available on Android to attract more users, but concluded that it would “do more harm than help us” (in the words of Apple CEO Phil Schiller). As another CEO, Craig Federighi said: “iMessage on Android will only be used for deletion. [an] An obstacle for iPhone families to give their children Android phones.

Google’s intervention, of course, is not purely altruistic: the company could benefit greatly from Apple making iMessage available on Android. Google has too recently paid For the iPhone factory to support it RCS Next Generation SMS Standard, which aims to replace SMS and already has Get support Major American airlines.

Google is also not in a good position to criticize other companies’ messaging strategies. Like آرس تکنيكا Editor in Chief Ron Amadeo

Since the launch of iMessage in 2011, Google has launched 13 different messaging apps. Maybe take the L on this one. You deserve it. https://t.co/cYwMFzmGig https://t.co/INyk4C1YWH

— Ron Amadeo (@RonAmadeo) January 9, 2022

, the search giant is notorious for its dysfunction when it comes to messaging and it has just launched 13 separate messaging apps Since iMessage was released in 2011 (most of them failed).