4 ms·

I'm in Australia, and here iPhones have about 50% of the smartphone market, with the other half being Android of course. I obviously know many iPhone users, in

I'm in Australia, and here iPhones have about 50% of the smartphone market, with the other half being Android of course. I obviously know many iPhone users, including my wife and many close friends. I know of no one who uses iMessage. Here everyone uses Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp (and to a lesser extent Telegram and Signal). Is this iMessage fascinating a US thing? Why?

tobobo 5y ago
In the US almost everyone uses SMS. iMessage uses the same app as SMS, changing the message type based on whether the recipient can accept iMessages. So, most iPhone-to-iPhone communication ends up being SMS because we don’t have to change what we’re used to.
- prepend 5y ago
  s/being SMS/being iMessage/
HWR_14 5y ago
iMessage in the US took over before WhatsApp or Messenger landed. So it's still going strong based on that (although I wouldn't want to switch to a FB product, so I may be biased.) But SMSs are free and therefore the number of people who use SMS (or RCS, whatever it's followup is), is really high.
- asiachick 5y ago
  SMS is not free while traveling abroad. I know most people int he USA don't travel abroad but I do and is one reason I detest SMS. Further it's tied to my phone number, something I'd prefer not to give out.
  - HWR_14 5y ago
    If you don't like SMS requiring people to know your phone number, wait until you hear how Signal and WhatsApp work. iMessage also works abroad (in fact, I tend to use iMessage when abroad because it appears to US based iPhone customers identical to domestic texts.)
RichEO 5y ago
I’m in Australia, and iMessage usage here is huge and I have to assume the reason you’re not aware of it is because you dont have an iPhone. Everyone I know with an iPhone chooses iMessages for texts and group chats first, and only reverts to WhatsApp when someone on Android has to be involved.
golemiprague 5y ago
Maybe as adults but the kids use the regular imessages and it creates two classes among the kids the ones that are in the imessages echosystem and the ones that are not. From a company that like to harp so much about diversity and inclusion I find imessages to be the most deviding tool in our kids life. It is disgusting and I hate it but at some stage had to buy an iphone for my kid exactly because of that, which is the reason Apple do it in the first place, to lock the kids into their products. At least I bought some crappy earphones instead of ipods, my small little rebelion.

tobobo 5y ago

In the US almost everyone uses SMS. iMessage uses the same app as SMS, changing the message type based on whether the recipient can accept iMessages. So, most iPhone-to-iPhone communication ends up being SMS because we don’t have to change what we’re used to.

prepend 5y ago
s/being SMS/being iMessage/

HWR_14 5y ago

iMessage in the US took over before WhatsApp or Messenger landed. So it's still going strong based on that (although I wouldn't want to switch to a FB product, so I may be biased.) But SMSs are free and therefore the number of people who use SMS (or RCS, whatever it's followup is), is really high.

asiachick 5y ago
SMS is not free while traveling abroad. I know most people int he USA don't travel abroad but I do and is one reason I detest SMS. Further it's tied to my phone number, something I'd prefer not to give out.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  If you don't like SMS requiring people to know your phone number, wait until you hear how Signal and WhatsApp work. iMessage also works abroad (in fact, I tend to use iMessage when abroad because it appears to US based iPhone customers identical to domestic texts.)

RichEO 5y ago

I’m in Australia, and iMessage usage here is huge and I have to assume the reason you’re not aware of it is because you dont have an iPhone. Everyone I know with an iPhone chooses iMessages for texts and group chats first, and only reverts to WhatsApp when someone on Android has to be involved.

golemiprague 5y ago

Maybe as adults but the kids use the regular imessages and it creates two classes among the kids the ones that are in the imessages echosystem and the ones that are not. From a company that like to harp so much about diversity and inclusion I find imessages to be the most deviding tool in our kids life. It is disgusting and I hate it but at some stage had to buy an iphone for my kid exactly because of that, which is the reason Apple do it in the first place, to lock the kids into their products. At least I bought some crappy earphones instead of ipods, my small little rebelion.