The real issue is that Apple has to have some fallback protocol for texting with non-iMessage devices, but refusing to upgrade the fallback protocol beyond SMS/MMS makes the texting experience worse for everyone, as described in the article.
(To avoid additional red herrings. No one is thinking here about opening up iMessage itself to non-Apple clients, just upgrading the fallback option. Also, I can't speak for everyone, but among the non-terminally-online Gen Xer and late-Millennial Americans I know, "texting" means using the built-in app on your phone. Switching to another app is a relationship step. Many of them are blithely unaware that they can't "just" text a photo or video to me or other Android users, nor that I can't just sign out of a group chat when I feel like it.)
Edit to add: those bubbles are green too. That’s what the bubble colors really mean. Blue and green are not iPhone vs Android, it’s iMessage (end to end encrypted) vs SMS (less secure, less private).
Besides the other issues... as soon as I heard that adolescents and teens (i.e., hyper-self-conscious, wanting group acceptance, figuring out social status) would be appearing differently in chats with schoolmates, based on whether they used Apple or non-Apple... that sure is a way to sell them Apples.
And then they leave them plugged in at home and forward the messages to their Android device.
Just so that they show up as a blue bubble on their friends phones.
About 1 in 12 males are colorblind. I’m in this group.
I find white text on a bright green background very difficult to read.
This is not up to Android, it is up to Apple how their UX displays texts to non-Apple users.
I do agree that the green bubbles aren’t great looking but thats what they chose for iOS even prior to iMessage existing.
This isn't a good answer. We can use sensible attractive UI/UX defaults without being exclusive.
The thing with accessibility is that it does affect everyone.
If you get woken up by a call and open iMessage in the middle of the night, being able to read the message accurately while blinking away eye gunk matters.
Better contrast helps you read your text message if your phone is on a table across from you lying flat.
There's going to be times you're trying to read a message and your phone won't be 100% in front of you at arms length and you are able to take the time to bring the phone into focus with proper lighting around you.
If you get woken up by a call and open iMessage in the middle of the night,
being able to read the message accurately while blinking away eye gunk matters.
I still believe this is an issue. Colorblind or not, everyone probably has had difficulties reading their phone in direct sunlight. But these are seriously not insurmountable technical problems at all and the excuse is pretty weak.
What if 3 in 12 who aren’t colorblind find it easier to read white on green?
Not everything is worthy of a social justice battle.
> Please don't comment on whether someone read an article. "Did you even read the article? It mentions that" can be shortened to "The article mentions that."
Regardless if they read the article or not, they were addressing one specific complaint which is unrelated to the others.