Should Text Messages Be Blue or Green?
—Grace & Truth Linkup
What Color Is Your Text Message?
If you have an iPhone and you text, you’ve seen the colored text bubbles.
By default, if someone’s words arrive in a blue text bubble, it means they’re texting via iMessage from another iPhone. But if you see a green bubble, the other person is texting from an Android phone or other smartphone (or it’s an SMS text message from an iPhone).
Does this matter to you?
It obviously bothers enough people that it’s become a source of bullying. Over the color of your text bubble.
Oh my.
Google (the originator of Android phones) complains that iPhone’s choice to use different colored message bubbles intentionally leads to “peer pressure and bullying” from iPhone users toward Android users.
I can’t say if Apple engineers strategically designed it this way for peer pressure or not.
But I can ask us regular people who use phones of any brand, “Really??? Do we have to make text bubble color another source of bullying, too?”
We’re already a people prone to judging others. We compare. We analyze. We scrutinize each other for the craziest of things.
Let’s not let text bubbles be another one of those things.
[I heard about this on the Talking Tech podcast.]
Featured Post
We might not relate to judging people for the color of their text message.
But can you relate to this—have you ever judged a parent at the grocery store for how their child behaves?
Our featured post today is from Tammy (a fellow co-host of this linkup). She writes about how quickly we can judge the little child (and parent) struggling in a grocery store.
Tammy offers us two important lessons about life that apply to each of us.
Read all of Tammy’s post here at her blog, then add your own links below.
“WHEN LITTLE BOYS (OR GIRLS) STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS”
What do you think about the texting bubbles? How can we spread more grace in the world instead of judgment? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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I honestly had no idea text messages are a different color on my phone depending on whether they come from a fellow iPhone user like my mother-in-law or an Android user like my husband. I guess blindness does have its advantages. That’s not to say I don’t judge people by their appearances though. I do and that’s sad enough.
With all the deep concerns we live with, it’s truly hard to believe that there’d be a dialogue like this going on. The absurdity of it all makes this subject a unique start to a morning of blogging, Lisa.
And that makes me smile.
I hope this has been a good week for you, friend.
Gosh, I think people just try to find something to complain about that can bring tension into their podcast or story, or news article, or draw more attention to their product, such as Google in this case. Drama is what ’causes attention and can make one popular, unfortunately! Constantly need to pray for wisdom and truth for all that comes our way.
I been in diversity trainings were they used different colored dots to teach how it feels to be different. I don’t need any dots because I was born different. My skin is brown. My hair is kinky. I wore corrective shoes through the sixth grade. I have an overbite. And my name is interesting. All the ingredients to be bullied. For that reason, I am compassionate, empathetic and caring especially to those who look, act or even smell different. I think that’s the model Jesus set for us. If we all loved like that what a beautiful world it would be.
I’m a bit astonished that this is even an issue Lisa!
Bullying over coloured texts! Goodness!
Although I was the subject of bullying as a child at school because I was seen as different with Red hair & freckles!
Sadly, People often judge that which they don’t understand.
Blessings,
Jennifer
I did not know that about the text colors, and of course I personally don’t care what color my texts come in, but I can see how this exploits the weakness in our false self that always seeks to find another way to feel better than others. This is how we are driven by a consumer culture to identify ourselves with the products we buy, and then make that a cause for conflict. My stuff is better than your stuff, therefore I am better than you. The manufacturers want us to be at war, it’s good for them.
Underneath all the “stuff,” including the outer appearance of our bodies, our fixed opinions, and our ideologies, we are all the same, all just wounded children crying to get home. We have to try to read that “message”!
I had no idea that this was a thing.
I’m glad that I’m an Android user & get to choose the color scheme for my messages.
While I have noticed the different colors, I never gave it any thought as to why. I am just glad to be connected to others 🙂
V inspiring post from Tammy — I left a comment — thank you for linking!
Re the iPhone text message colour … This is why we pay extra for iPhones! (One of the reasons) Apple kit are luxury products and many design decisions are purely about differentiation. We can spread grace by pushing back against these corporate manipulations. It would be nice if the corporates could spread grace, but perhaps only humans can do that.
A wise person wrote a series about this ;). I think it’s called confirmation bias. When the different colored bubbles show up, it confirms our choice to purchase a certain type of phone. It lets us know immediately whether or not we’ll have something in common with the sender. I can’t believe people bully others over this, though! What a crazy time we’re living in.