The ‚blue bubble‘ debate takes another turn
Nothing has just lobbed a proverbial grenade into the growing Android and iMessage debate by announcing a new feature that lets you message iOS users from its Android phone with Apple’s famous blue bubbles.
The Nothing Chats app for the Nothing Phone (2) will, as its launch video explains, let you „camouflage“ yourself when texting iOS users by showing your messages in blue bubbles, the hallmark of Apple’s iMessages – normally only shown if someone is messaging from an Apple device. The feature will initially only be available in the US, Canada, UK, and EU on that phone.
iMessage has been in the headlines again recently, as Google and other telcos have been pushing the European Commission to force Apple to open up the service to new standards like RCS messaging. Right now, Apple’s default messaging app shows messages from Android phones in green bubbles, and also controversially uses older SMS/MMS tech for non-iMessage users.
Those green bubbles carry a stigma in some circles, notably among Gen Z users in the US, so the Nothing Chats app is a symbolic strike back for Android. How does it work? It’s powered by Sunbird, one of a few messaging hubs that have emerged recently (another is Beeper) to act as a peacemaking bridge between iOS and Android.
