Android users switched less frequently to iPhones in 2023, report shows

fne8w2ah@lemmy.world to Android@lemmy.world – 228 points –
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The US market is such a weird one. Apple owns more than 80% of all teens over there and Android might struggle to expand there in the future. However, outside the US, Android is still prevalent in many markets (and will grow in many third world countries), iMessage isn't that used, and blue/green bubble argument does not exist.

Really boggles us non-Americans about the allure of iMessage.

'Murican Android user here. I've never gotten any shit pertaining to iMessage compatibility or this chat bubble color thing. I think what we're hearing about is just a few toxic circles being presented as the norm for everyone here.

I wouldn't be surprise if it was a gorilla marketing campaign.

I believe you mean "guerilla marketing" campaign.

Dyslexia but thanks all the same

That's alright, you tried. Looks like people understood the intent and had a good laugh. One of my dyslexic wife's better misspeaks was taking a guess at "Jormungandr", and she went with "Juggernaut". Gorilla warfare certainly is a more fun image to picture.

It's more fun the other way. And I wouldn't be surprised if the possibly came up in some meetings when Harambee was trending.

It's more common with teens (80% of which are on iPhones here). Teens will grow up, and become adult iPhone users.

As I recently former teen who never had an iPhone, the only place I've heard it talked about is California, but in Midwest/South nobody cares.

I used to think the same, until it happened to me twice..

I got playful groans both times for being the only person in a class group with an Android. I have an iPad so it ended up being a non-issue.

Heck, I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She's 28.

I'm not saying it should exist, but stuff like this very much affects people whether we like it or not and pretending like it's a non-issue doesn't help them.

I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She's 28.

What's funny is thinking that's a red flag is itself a red flag.

If I was dating someone who revealed they're focused on petty shit like that, I'd be worried about a relationship full of drama.

There’s a good chance you’re left out of separate chats.

I'm convinced that it's purposeful sabotage on Apple's part because if there's one Android user in a group chat iMessage fucks up images/videos/effects for all recipients. So being the lone Android holdout gets you pressured to switch

It falls back to MMS which is terrible.

And specifically falls back to a very small mms, something like 100kb instead of 3mb for images.

That's why you always hear crap about androids having terrible cameras - most people only experience them through excessive apple compression.

It’s more than that. Apps used to take screenshots of the screen instead of trying to work their way through the camera apis in Snapchat for example, at least in the past. There’s also just bad camera out there. My Pixel 6 Pro is terrible for document scanning given its sensor size. The edges are always blurry.

Remember that you're often talking to teens on the internet, lol. And for them it's more of a peer pressure thing. Apple got em good.

Europe is a pretty similar situation with WhatsApp, where everyone is kind of forced to use that same platform, just luckily WhatsApp is available on iOS and Android.

Or Facebook Messenger, which I kind of have to use to talk to my relatives and some friends around the world.

Doesn't have the same weird pressure to use one device manufacturer like in the US though, but trying to get someone (let alone everyone) to add you on Telegram or Signal can be a similar struggle, if they don't see a value in the effort required to switch apps just for you.

Not all of Europe, the further east you go the more telegram is used.

Fair enough, but then it's the same issue to try and convince them to add you on WhatsApp (or iMessage) if they use Telegram. The point is that these are all platforms that we similarly end up stuck on, depending on what most people in our community landed on. In that way it's not so different to the situation in the US.

People only want to use one messaging client for all their contacts, and as long as the clients remain closed platforms, we are prevented from just using whichever client we individually prefer, we have to use the platform decided on by the community, or fight an uphill battle to get everyone to reluctantly install a second messaging app just for us.

The difference is at least Telegram seems to care a bit more about privacy than Meta

Stupid kids decided it was a status symbol and no one in the states really uses third party message apps.

I don't want to call the kids stupid. It's the Network Affect. Apple has a sleek design and like two phones. Android it really uneven in quality and capabilities between mid range end high end. I've been on Androids since 2012 and love them. I can however understand why iPhone caught on and then you're friends are on they're and you want to be. Social pressure doesn't make kids stupid just human.

It's not just the message color thing. It seems like more kids these days just can't solve anything themselves. Like ok, they want to live their entire lives on their cell phone, but they have no knowledge of how the phones work or what any of the hardware inside does. Any problems with anything and it's just "broke" and they have nearly unlimited information at their fingertips, but don't know how to look anything up to try and actually solve a problem.

iMessage does not exist in Europe. I have never ever seen someone use it.

I hate that it’s used so heavily in the states. It’s the biggest reason that I’m still using an iPhone over Android.

I live internationally and it’s too difficult to convince my contacts to switch. Just not worth the trouble.

Why you let people decide for you what phone you use? I moved here and every single one of my friends have WhatsApp even though they use iPhone.

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Crazy this is like needing Whatsapp on steroids. Literally needing such a crap locked down tracking device just because the US doesnt have the balls to force apple to open up

Mate, I've never once been pressured to use an iPhone in the states. Not sure what any of that has to do with international travel where chat platforms are phone-agnostic. No one using whatsapp cares about my Pixel.

It’s not international travel. I live with my wife in her country. International calling and texting is expensive.

So I can just get a use an iPhone with iMessage or convince my immediate and extended family and professional contacts to use a different chatting app.

It’s just easier to use an iPhone.

or convince my immediate and extended family and professional contacts to use a different chatting app.

I'm sure at least your family will happily just install Signal, WhatsApp or so in order to avoid excessive monetary cost to you. What kind of family wouldn't?

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What you said has nothing to do with an iphone.

It very clearly does. If they can't get all their contacts on other chat apps because they're on iPhones then how could you possibly say it has nothing to do with iPhones?

What does a contact list have to do with a phone? Does the iPhone lock you out of even proper contact management?

No, contacts as in the people they want to contact.

What does that have to do with the phone they own? I still don't get it.

Only iPhones can use iMessage. iMessage uses a data connection rather than SMS or calling. OP lives in a different country and international SMS or calling would cost a lot of money, but a data connection does not. The only way of communicating with certain people without incurring extra charges is for OP to use iMessage over a data connection.

It does when it is one person trying to get a group of people trying to switch platforms.

But imessenger works over the internet. It's not an SMS service so the carrier has nothing to do with it. im in tons of groupchats with imessenger recipients. never had a problem except with apple purposefully downgrading all media. my phone has wifi calling so I can receive my sms messages anywhere I can get service.

Their point was they don't want to deal with the carrier so they want to message over data. However the people the wish to contact don't have chat apps so they use iMessage. Yes obviously they should just download another app but you can't force someone to do that.

That's a carrier feature. I can message anyone anywhere with anything I want. Has nothing to do with iPhone. I just group texted all my iphone friends from Firefox on my PC.

Alright, so let's say I have an iPhone and my friend also does if I'm away from cell service but have data and try to send them an SMS it will go through as an iMessage in the same app they use to text. So I can still message them in the same app they're using for SMS and iMessage with everyone else.

So there's already a built in messaging app pretty much. I think part of the confusion is group texts. I don't think they're actually talking about group chats but rather one on one with various people who already have iPhones. It's easier to just send them a message that way. Yes this isn't a good state of affairs.

Your first paragraph is not relevant to the phone but the service. That's the whole point I'm trying to make. It's called wi-fi calling and is a service feature not a phone feature. Apple makes it easier but I can still message anyone without a phone just fine.

The problem comes when it costs you money to send an SMS or make a voice call to the person with iMessage but data has no extra monetary cost, for example when you're in a different country.

It's entirely relevant if the people you want to contact don't have any other chat apps. The whole point is the inability to get others to do something slight less easy.

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I've been lightly pressured in multiple circles to get an iPhone.

And I heavily pressure all my friends and family with iphones to switch to android, all the time. Doesn't mean any of them do it.

Most of my iPhone friends aren't smart enough to use an android.

Ugh, this stupid shit again.

iPhone users r dum ammirite guys?

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It's definitely prevelant in the UK. Although not as much as in the USA by far.

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I'm just pissed that apples dominance has neutered good competitive Android phones in the US. There's only a few higher end Android phones to pick from and none have even a microsd card slot anymore. Let alone a headphone jack or replaceable battery. I have the ability to replace my note 20 ultra battery (current phone and last high end Samsung with a microsd card slot) but Samsung won't sell the batteries and the aftermarket ones are hot garbage. I may have another tear or so before I'm forced to get a new phone just because of that.

Agreed. The fact that Samsung S phones lack memory card slots leads me to getting A phones instead.

A lot of people tell me that Chinese phones also have memory card slots but I am not touching these phones at all.

Yeah. I don't really want the Chinese backdoor secret data sending phones. It's bad enough our own government is probably doing it to us. I really liked my LG V40. Wish LG stayed in the market.

Wen i see those post about a fuking color bubble and some are shamed for that it's juts pathetic to see honestly .

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