Do YOU get green bubble ick? iPhone users turned off by Android texts,
iPhone users claim they’re immediately turned off when they realise a potential partner uses an Android, in a concept dubbed the ‘green bubble ick’.
‘The thought of green texts makes me feel sick,’ one user said on TikTok.
Another added: ‘The green text bubble gives the ICK hardddd!’
And one joked: ‘Texts back in green…suddenly I can’t read.’
The nickname is linked to the fact that iPhone users receive green text messages from Android users, rather than Apple’s blue iMessage bubbles.
While this might sound trivial, new insights from Compare and Recycle suggest that phone choice is being used as a signal of compatability.
Lee Elliott, Chief Product Officer at Compare and Recycle said: ‘Phones are a huge part of our daily lives, but it’s fascinating, and slightly alarming, how quickly device choice is becoming a proxy for compatibility.
‘When we’re dating, it’s easy to latch onto quick signals that help us “sort” people fast, but a green bubble doesn’t tell you whether someone is kind, consistent, or emotionally available.’
The ‘green bubble ick’ is a term that has been popularised online to describe the negative reaction some iPhone users have when they realise someone they’re messaging might be using an Android.
‘If you see a green message bubble instead of a blue one, that message was sent using RCS or MMS/SMS instead of iMessage,’ Apple explains on its help page.
There are several reasons for this, including iMessage being turned off or unavailable.
However, it’s usually because the message was sent from an Android.
While this ick might sound ridiculous, a survey last year by All About Cookies found that green bubbles can be a dealbreaker for many singletons.
The survey of 1,000 adults found that 22 per cent of iPhone users say they think less of someone when they see a green bubble pop up in a text conversation.
What’s more, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) say a green message bubble is a ‘dating dealbreaker’.
Interestingly, the colour of your messages appears to matter more to men.
The survey found that just 15 per cent of female respondents said they look down on Android users, while 29 per cent of male respondents said the same.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, relationship expert Georgia Vass explained the science behind this phenomenon.
‘Mobile phones have become an increasingly dominant part of many people’s lives, a mechanism which has become used to represent the user’s digital identity through various symbols, visual cues, or text,’ she said.
‘So it’s no surprise that the device itself can become a symbol that people attach meaning to.
‘We are wired to quickly assess whether a new person is safe or dangerous, with first impressions generally being more intuitive than logical.
‘A person’s phone may offer something to interpret during that initial assessment, whereas people in established relationships have a lot more data about their partner.’
In other words, when you just start messaging someone and have little information on them, small details – like a green message bubble – can seem important.
‘It may be helpful for the person experiencing the ick to reflect upon why the phone bothers them so much and whether it’s indicative of more fundamental insecurities or interfering with their core values,’ Ms Vass said.
‘The introspection may be more useful than limiting potential partners to those who have a certain phone brand.’
So, if you’re messaging anyone, try to stay open minded and not immediately judge them based on the colour of their texts.
‘This Valentine’s Day, it’s worth remembering that real connection doesn’t come in blue or green, it comes from shared values, good communication, and how someone shows up for you,’ Mr Elliott added.
