Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Why Are My iPhone Text Messages Sometimes Blue and Sometimes Green?

Lately I've been getting this question a lot. Here's what's up.

Green messages on your iPhone use a voice text protocol called Short Message Service (SMS). SMS was developed way back in 1982 and designed to run on voice networks using a separate channel used for signaling. Technically SMS was easy to implement and, with the popularity of mobile phones, it became very popular really fast. Messages are limited in length 160 characters and as a result many of us have learned to abbreviate words using text-speak shorthand.

iMessage is different. It's Internet Protocol (IP) based and does not require a voice connection. You can use IP based text services like iMessage on cellular data networks along with WiFi networks and your computer.

Now here's the big advantage - you don't need a text message plan to send and receive iMessage based texts. You do need some kind of text message plan to send and receive SMS (green) messages.

When are messages green? Here's a few common scenarios:
  1. You or your friend have not updated your iPhone to iOS5
  2. You or your friend are not registered with Apple iMessage. 
  3. You or your friend are in a place where there is no cellular data signal but there is a voice network signal.
  4. You send a message to someone not on the same network as you and only one of you has an iPhone. For example, you've got an AT&T account and your friend has a Verizon Wireless account. If you both have iPhones and both have data connections iMessage will work cross-carrier. 
  5. You're on the same network but one of you has iMessage turned off. To turn iMessage on and off on your iPhone use Settings -> Messages -> iMessage On/Off
Is SMS sticking around? Not for long with "free" services like iMessage and this is rapidly becoming a problem for the providers. SMS has been a huge cash cow for wireless providers earning an estimated $114.6 billion in 2010.
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5 comments:

  1. what is videoNovember 10, 2012 at 6:59 AM

    Thanks for the great read. Good blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don TimperonFebruary 1, 2015 at 11:13 PM

    Your information is the most comprehensive I have found in my search for an answer to the blue/green question. I have discounted all of the five conditions and yet some messages still seem to leave "green" for some addressees and some leave "blue" for others. It seems as if the provider is forcing the message to go green. Is this a possibility?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gordon F Snyder JrFebruary 3, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    The people you are sending to may not have iMessage enabled even though they do have an Apple device.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 20, 2015 at 2:38 PM

    Why do we need to care about the color? Do some data plans charge for one or the other?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gordon F Snyder JrMarch 22, 2015 at 9:09 AM

    IP-based services work nicely when you do not have cell service. For example, on a commercial aircraft with WiFi access.

    ReplyDelete