The Decision Memo No. 001: Why Apple keeps Android texts green

Why Apple keeps Android texts green

Green came first. The decision was keeping blue inside Apple.

Decision memoNo. 001·Apple·iMessage

Keep iMessage on Apple devices only

Decided · 2013

Decision: Do not pursue iMessage for Android; keep the service exclusive to Apple devices.
Decided by: Apple leadership. The record shows Cue and Federighi debating it in 2013.
Optimizing for: iPhone differentiation and the value of owning several Apple devices together.
What they gave up: The chance to make iMessage a cross-platform messaging network.
The alternative: Build iMessage for Android and compete to become the standard.
What it changed: A delivery-system indicator became an ecosystem boundary, and a social signal.

whyitshipped.com/1

[The web version of issue No. 001: the memo, the three exhibits that matter most, and what didn’t make the video.]