Apple’s division of green and blue text bubbles is, let’s be honest, annoying – so much so that, last year, Google began a campaign to lobby Apple to ‘#Getthemessage’ and switch over to RCS messaging, a secure texting platform that’s encrypted and offered on all major Android phones.
Apple fans, instead of RCS, have been able to enjoy iMessage, which changes Apple users to blue bubbles in chats, and Android users to green. Now, Samsung has jumped on the #GetTheMessage train with a new ad – and it’s weird.
Here’s the ad. You may either cringe or be icked out, but either way, all of this is just getting weird now.
The ad is a subtle take on Romeo and Juliet – at least that’s what’s implied by the name ‘Juliet’ at the top of the screen – and the forbidden romance plot compressed into 20 seconds. Instead of a story about love, it’s more about bringing bubbles, or just messages, together.
The phrase ‘We’re bubbles too’ probably doesn’t look as good in an ad as it did on a whiteboard during an ad pitch, but this is where we are now.
But it’s hard to not agree with the sentiment, right? With Apple encouraging users to use iMessage, without the option or an alternative provided to Android users, communications between platforms are just… Not great. This is the reason why photos often appear compressed when sending from Apple to Android or vice versa – it switches from either iMessage or RCS, down to SMS or MMS. The use of RCS would also further enhance group chats among Android and iPhone users, and allow for messages beyond 160 characters.
Because needing to use SMS and MMS relies on tech from the 90s, Google likened the system to a made-up Apple product called the ‘iPager’ in late September.
Anyway, good one, Samsung. As an Android user, I hope Apple does #getthemessage.
Image: Samsung
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