Google has accused Apple of profiting from teenage ostracism (disdain, rejection, ridicule by the surrounding society) as part of its marketing strategy. iPhone makers make Android smartphone users “second-class citizens” on iMessage.
Anyone who regularly attended school could learn that kids can be cruel. Unbranded clothes, an old phone, a parent’s occupation or a unique interest-even such trivial reasons can be ostracized and humiliated among teenagers. Google accuses Apple of using the mentality of minors to expand its empire.
Apple’s iMessage service includes some exclusive iPhone features, such as Memoji. The messenger also changes the color of messages sent from Android devices to green instead of the app’s standard blue. Unfortunately, this has become a social status benchmark among American teenagers. Showing up in a non-group chat room with a green bubble is ridiculed. The whole situation forces students to own iPhones. Who’s going to buy them? Parents, of course. Google blames Apple for this unholy practice.
It may seem that the accusations are far-fetched and that the teenagers themselves are to blame for the situation. But as The Verge points out, internal emails scanned in connection with Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple showed that this strategy is an important link in the Cupertino giant’s marketing. Apple once considered making iMessage available to Android users, but the company ultimately said it would do more than good.
In a tweet, Hitachi Lockhamier, an engineer who works at Google on Android development, spoke harshly about Apple’s activities. He said it was “hypocritical of a company that puts equality at the core of its marketing.” His statement was confirmed by the official Android account.
It should be understood that Google’s actions cannot be dictated by pure intentions either. The company would have gained a lot if Apple had released iMessage for Android devices. As Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo pointed out, Google may not be the right company to criticize Apple’s actions. Since 2011, the company has been developing as many as 13 different messengers.
