iOS 18 Survey: Are Green Bubbles Breaking Up Friendships?

In the U.S., 99% of the smartphone market falls into two camps: team Android or team iPhone. While the tech giants have been battling for market share for decades, users have also clashed on issues like compatibility, usability, and even aesthetics. 

These issues come to a head most notably in incompatibility with messaging apps, where non-Apple users' text messages show up as a green bubble instead of blue on iPhone. In fact, the tension between the two groups is so severe that Senator Elizabeth Warren was recently quoted saying “Apple is ruining relationships” over the color of chat bubbles in group chats. In response, Apple's iOS 18 upgrade promises a solution to straighten some compatibility issues such as group chat functionality and media sending via RCS messaging, though for now, green bubbles are here to stay. 

But is there truth to the rift between iPhone and Android users? To find out how pervasive those kinds of attitudes are, the All About Cookies team surveyed people on both sides of the smartphone divide to see how they feel about green bubbles, blue bubbles, and each other.

Key findings:

• The exclusion is real: Roughly a quarter (24%) of Android users have been left out of group chats because of their smartphone choices and over half (52%) report being teased or made fun of by iPhone users.
• More than 1 in 5 iPhone users (22%) say they think less of someone when they see a green bubble pop up in a text conversation and nearly 1 in 4 (23%) say it’s a dating dealbreaker.
• As a result, about a third (30%) of Android users have considered switching to an iPhone because of the sheer pressure and mockery.
• On top of prejudices, default texting apps incompatibility causes communication issues as well, with 38% of Android users reporting that they’ve missed or were unable to understand incoming messages as a result.
• The good news? More than 2 in 5 iPhone owners (42%) have relied on third-party messaging apps (like WhatsApp) to accommodate non-iOS users.

How iPhone users feel about Android users

Of course not every Apple user feels superior to Android users, but there are some who certainly do. But just how pervasive is that attitude?

A little more than one out of every five people with iPhones (22%) say that they legitimately think less of someone if a green bubble shows up the first time they text.

Interestingly, this distinction appears to matter more to men, as just 15% of female respondents said they look down on Android users while nearly double that percentage of males (29%) said the same.

Treating Android users differently

Even among those who don’t care what kind of phone someone has, certain inconsistencies and incompatibility issues lead some Apple users to change how they communicate with the Android users in their lives. We asked Apple users what those changes look like.

The most common step iPhone owners take is to exclusively use non-texting platforms such as messaging services built into social media platforms when they communicate, something that more than one-third of Apple users (35%) have done.

Another step taken by around a third of people with iPhones (30%) is to move group chats that include Android owners to third-party platforms such as WhatsApp.

Some steps taken by a smaller proportion of people are more drastic. More than one-fifth (21%) have refused to add Android users to group chats, while roughly the same percentage (17%) have removed someone with an Android device from a group chat.

Most drastic of all is choosing to stop texting entirely, which 15% of iPhone users say they have done.

How Android users feel they’re treated

Having explored how Apple users feel about those with Android phones, we also wanted to explore the other side of the divide and see how Android users feel they’re treated by those with iPhones.

More than half of people with Android phones (52%) report that they’ve been made fun of at some point by iPhone users for their choice of mobile phone. More than a third (36%) say that they’ve felt negatively judged because of their phone, while more than one-in-four (26%) have actually felt embarrassed because of it.

A strong portion of Android users (38%) also report that they’ve misunderstood or missed messages entirely because of incompatibility issues between Apple and Android operating systems, which may contribute to the judgment and negativity between those with different phones

The incompatibility is also certainly a contributing factor for why one-third of Android users have asked for a group chat to be moved to an alternative messaging app and that nearly a quarter (24%) say they’ve been knowingly excluded from a group chat.

Given that the majority of Android users have been mocked for their phone, we also wanted to see how many people with Android devices have considered switching.

We found that a little less than one out of every three people with an Android phone (30%) have considered switching because of peer pressure applied by the iPhone users in their lives.

How phone choices impact dating

But texting isn’t limited to just friends and family. It’s also a common part of romantic relationships, including when those relationships are just getting started.

When it comes to those early days of a potential relationship, having the wrong phone can make a big difference. We found that nearly a quarter of iPhone users (23%) would consider it to be a dealbreaker if someone they were interested in dating texted them using a non-Apple device. Once again, this distinction is much more important for males than females, as nearly one-third of men (31%) cited it as a dealbreaker compared to just 16% of women.

Exploring alternative messaging platforms

Not every interaction and communication between Apple and Android users is fueled by conflict over phone preferences. Many people have taken steps to keep everyone on even footing regardless of who makes their phone.

More than two-fifths of iPhone users (42%) report that they’ve switched to a third-party messaging app to avoid incompatibility issues and operating system differences.

Strengthening your phone security on an Android device

• Install the right virus protection. Not only can antivirus apps protect you against Android threats and spyware, but many offer free and affordable premium plans.
• Reset your outdated passwords. Getting set up with a compatible password manager can add a double layer of digital protection on your accounts and primary logins.
• Remain cautious on private messaging platforms. For non-text group threads, we recommend reading up on this helpful guide: Is WhatsApp safe to use?

Methodology

To collect the data for this survey, our team at All About Cookies surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults in July 2024 via Pollfish. All respondents were U.S. citizens over the age of 18 and remained anonymous.