• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 14, 2024

Google launched a video Wednesday to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The theme focuses on people finding the perfect match, no matter which phone they have.

The film, #GetTheMessage - Don’t Let Apple Cost You, created by the agency David Miami, features comedian, writer and actress Ziwe Fumudoh.

Through a series of lighthearted interviews around phones that run Google’s Android operating system, the film shows how the cultural stigma against green bubbles in the U.S. cost iPhone users love.

It highlights the cultural stigma against green bubbles in the U.S. and helps iPhone users realize they are missing out on love because Apple supports the outdated technology, SMS.

Apple, however, did recently announce they plan to replace SMS with a more modern technology, Rich Communication Services (RCS), an international protocol used by mobile carriers and phones to improve the messaging experience on Android phones.

Still, the stigma around green bubbles could remain. As an iPhone user, Ziwe shares her firsthand experience and insight into the pain created by Apple's use of outdated technology when texting with Android.

In the video, single iPhone users who consider green-bubble texts “a deal breaker” connect face-to-face with Android users who are a potential match.

“Dating makes me feel like I’m in a thrift store. There’s some cool stuff, and there’s some stuff like … ,” one single lady says, shaking her head.

When asked if the ladies have ever dated someone who sent a green text, one cringes and says, “I see that green text, and I got to go.”

By asking tough questions, Ziwe gets the iPhone users to realize they might be missing out on finding their perfect match because of their green-bubble bias.

Google first launched Get The Message campaign last year to provide more context around the text messaging issues many of us experience, including the green and blue bubbles challenges that create pixelated videos, lack of read receipts and typing indicators.

The lack of end-to-end encryption also puts a strain on the experience of staying in touch via text.